


She Doesn't Like You.

by spaghettideviant



Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Book 1: Red Queen, Book 2: Glass Sword, Book 3: King's Cage, Book 4: War Storm, Everyone has red blood, Everyone is the same okay, Multi, No Blood Difference, Thomas is alive, no betrayal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 54,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaghettideviant/pseuds/spaghettideviant
Summary: Mare Molly Barrow is about to start school at Archeon High, and all she wants is to fit in. But once she gains the attention of the most popular boy in school, her entire life as she knows it, starts to change for the worse.





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is dedicated to my friend Madison (Hi madlad u r da bestest) Basically it is a big joke, I swear I can write better than this when I try, okay?
> 
> But yes, most everyone is happy and alive (INCLUDING THOMAS) and Cal and Maven are best friends and yeah  
> Also this is technically a Calorn fic. Also this first chapter is in Mare's POV.
> 
> Enjoy!!!  
> -devitameatball

I look up at the building before me, watching it with wide eyes. Made almost entirely of glass, the building before spirals upwards, each wall and corner ending in jagged spikes. My breath hitches in a low whistle, never really understanding how any person, no matter how skilled, could craft a building to look like… a crown.

My brothers all warned me about this place. Long since graduated and off in college, Bree, Tramy, and Shade all shared tales of how pompous this place was. Everything about it was somehow snotty. The walls, the grounds, the people especially. I am starting to dread even standing in front of it. 

On my left, my sister brushes against my arm. She smiles at me, and I frown, looking up at her. 

_ Younger than me, yet somehow taller. _

I grow angrier as she points towards the massive building. “You’re being ridiculous.” She wraps an arm around my neck, jostling me with her excitement. 

“I am not being anything, Gee.” Gisa was definitely younger than me, if she could be excited about walking into this hell-hole. I was so afraid of coming here based off of what my brothers said that I stayed away for two years, opting to do homeschool with Mom while I waited for Gisa to be old enough to come with me. I even made her wait an extra few weeks before we started, giving the school some time to fall into a lull before we get into it. If we are going to be new kids, I don’t want to be the kind that stood out. I want to blend in.

We climb the glass steps together, Gisa practically dragging me behind her as she hops up the steps with grace. I stumble on the top step. “Uh-” I manage to get out, but she keeps pulling, placing a hand on the massive doors and swinging them open.

The hallway is open, lined with marble tiles and tinted glass walls. We make our way to the end of the hall, reaching a crossroads. The walls of the two adjacent corridors are different from here. They’re lined with lockers, not glass. Gisa looks around for some sort of indication as to where we should go, before pointing to a sign that says “Office”. She grabs my arm again and we head towards it.

A woman sits behind a large glass counter, typing furiously at a computer, her eyes not looking away from the screen until Gisa clears her throat. She looks at us, but keeps typing. It is sort of unnerving. “Can I help you?” She asks, her eyes darting between us.

Gisa steps forward, pulling me behind her. “Hi!” I roll my eyes. “I’m Gisa Barrow, and this is my sister, Mare.”

The woman finally stops typing, her scowl pulling upwards into a smile. “The new students,” she notes, glancing over our clothing. Gisa smiles wider, looking down at her own outfit. Her dress, a soft pink fabric hanging to her knees, simple, yet somehow cool when paired with a green army jacket, once belonged to our brother, Shade. Even her little flats make her look somehow older and mature for someone who’s only fourteen.

Then, the woman looks to me, and her scowl returns. Her eyes rake over my ripped, worn jeans, combat boots, and band tee. I pull my arms to hide them behind my back as she glances at the bracelets covering my forearms. I also flick my hair to hide my ear full of piercings, not wanting her to judge me anymore.

She sighs, standing and reaching into her desk. From inside, she pulls two small folders, handing them to each of us. They each read  _ Schedule _ , along with our respective names. She smiles again, seeming more fake than before as she sits back down and begins typing again. “Come back here if you need help finding anything. My name is Mrs. Blonos.” 

Gisa nods, then pulls me out of the office and shuts the door behind us. She opens her folder quickly, reading the contents greedily. I suddenly realize my terror as I open my own schedule, remembering that even though I waited for Gisa to come here with me, we’re in two different grades. I am three years older than she is.

_ We won’t have any classes together. _

My sister senses my growing nerves, and she smiles and places a hand on my arm. “Don’t do that, Mare. You’ll be-”

“I won’t be fine, Gee,” I snap, yanking my arm away. “I won’t. You heard what Shade said. The way these kids treated them. They’re rich and snotty and we’re…  _ not. _ I don’t want to put up with any-”

“So don’t!” I hate being interrupted, but she continues. “You’ll have Kilorn.”

_ Kilorn. _ Damn me for always forgetting the fish boy. Thinking his name makes me calm down a bit, and I take a breath. Growing up I was always kind of… lonely. My brothers all did their own things, and Gisa was great, but it is  _ very _ obvious that she’s my parents’ favorite. I’m always in her shadow, hanging back and hiding from the world.

That’s how I met Kilorn. Skipping out on classes in the middle school in our little town, running to the nearby river and watching this kid catch fish just out of boredom. So strange, and yet, the funniest person I know. Kilorn is my best friend, and I suddenly feel a twinge of guilt for keeping away from this place for so long. I made him endure this hell on his own.

Gisa shrugs, knowing exactly what I’m thinking. She taps the schedule in my hand. “Open it, and figure out where you’re going. Homeroom will end soon.” She winks at me, turning and placing her hands on both straps of her backpack. “Try not to get trampled!”

Sighing, I turn from her and look down at the schedule in my hand. I figure out where the first class is, _Common 103._ _Like I need to take a class to learn about my native language._ I think, rolling my eyes. I set off to find the class, dreading what this school would bring. 

  
  
  
  


The first class goes by quickly. Though I was insanely nervous, the class itself was very boring and dry. None of the other students noticed me, as I sat in the back, observing quietly.  _ Good that we waited a few weeks. _ I think, picking my bag up off the floor and throwing it over my shoulder.  _ Nobody has even noticed that I’m new. _ I go to leave the classroom, but the teacher stops me for a moment to welcome me to the school. My eyes dart around quickly, making sure that no one is around to hear her. Only one student remains though, collecting his things from his desk in the back corner of the room.

I sigh as this woman asks me about my home, The Stilts, and I feel the sudden urge to run. The kids in this school are very rich, very judgemental. Shade always told me stories about how often he was tormented for his lack of money. I rattle off some stupid, nondescript answer, trying not to engage or tell her too much.

“It’s...uh… not much. But,” I face the door as the last student exits the room, a jingling sound follows him as he passes through the door. I sigh again. “It’s home.”

If the class was better than I expected, the hallway is a nightmare. I step into a sea of students, all rich and sneering. They giggle in their little cliques, gathered by lockers or just in the center of the hall. I maneuver through them, trying my best to remain unnoticed. Looking down at my schedule to see if I can find my way to the next class, I turn the corner, running headfirst into a wall.

No, not a wall. A  _ person. _

_ Shit. _

I back up slowly, looking up at a group of girls, their appearances making my skin crawl and my brain panic. One stands to the left of me, wearing a dark, skin tight cheerleading uniform. Her collarbone winks with jewelry, contrasting her dark skin and hair. On the right, in the same uniform, a girl with red hair, and covered in freckles. I note that she looks a bit like Gisa.

The one in the center, glaring at me after bumping into her is taller than the others, and lacks the uniform, instead wearing a black, crushed velvet romper. Her outfit completes with high heeled boots and studded, silver bracelets. Her face is framed by long, straight, sleek silver hair, and she looks down her nose at me, still glaring through angled eyes.

“New girl.” She tips her head, watching me like a predator looking at prey. I stare up at her, dumbfounded. “Are you  among the  _ living _ ?” She asks, sneering.

I stumble for words, the panic growing throughout me. “Uh…. I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

She laughs, holding out her perfectly manicured hands to push my shoulders, almost throwing me across the hall and up against the lockers on the other side. I land with a thud on the floor, and when I dare to look up the halls have cleared. The rest of the students have gone quiet, backing away to make room for this inevitable fight.

My attacker steps a few steps closer, her heels clacking on the marble floor. I try to stand, but my embarrassment gets the best of me. My cheeks flair as she squats down in front me, reading to strike again.

I finally look up as hear a familiar jingling.

“Evangeline.”

The girl in front of me, Evangeline, stands quickly, whipping her head around to view who would dare interrupt her torment. She sneers. “Oh, it’s just you.”

I look for the person which the voice came from, and why I recognized the jingling. Before her stands the student from my previous class, who waited for the room to clear before leaving. I look at him with wide eyes, realizing where the jingling came from. 

He isn’t dressed as pompous and arrogant as the rest of the students. He wears all black, from his dirty, scuffed boots to his ripped jeans, chains hanging from one side and jingling as he stills. He wears a ripped t-shirt with insignias from a band I don’t recognize, and a leather jacket covered in patches and spikes and chains.

He smiles, and I realize that I really like the ring in his lip. “I thought you had decided to stop bullying, Evangeline. After what happened last year, that is.”

Evangeline places her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to one foot as her lackeys move closer to me to look at the other as well. “Let me tell you how things work around here in Archeon High. This is  _ my  _ school.”

The stranger laughs. “I already know how things work around here in  _ Archeon High _ .” He says sarcastically. Then, he gestures to me. “I know that you spend all of your time picking on people to feel better about yourself. That you act like a bitch just because you can.”

A small  _ oooooooooh _ echoes from the crowd of students around us, and Evangeline quickly closes the distance between them. “What are you going to do,  _ Little Prince? _ ” She asks, snarling. “Set me on fire?” The cheers turn quiet, and I really have no idea whether it would be better to run away or stay seated on the floor. I decide to fold my legs and watch the show.

“I might.” He smirks. “You should know better than to cross me.” He points to me, and my cheeks flair again. “Apologize.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but the red haired girl places a hand on her arm. “ _ Eve,” _ She almost begs, pulling her away. “Let’s just go. It’s not worth it.” She lowers her voice, eyes darting around. “What about the plan?”

The dark haired girl steps in, too, though she doesn’t hold Evangeline the way the other one does. “What about  _ Cal _ ?”

I have no idea who  _ Cal _ is, but Evangeline sighs, spitting in the face of the boy in front of her then storming off, her heels clacking down the hall. People jump out of the way, not wanting to interact with her. The bell rings, and everyone scrambles, rushing to get where they need to be.

I stay on the ground until almost everyone is gone. I go to stand, but startle when I look up at a hand stretched out to me.  _ Little Prince, _ I think.  _ I wonder why she called him that. _

I take his hand, allowing him to pull me up off the floor and and help me stand upright. I look at his nails, chewed down to rough stumps and covered in very chipped, black polish.  _ What a strange person. _ “Thank you.”

He shrugs, releasing my hand and moving it to his pocket. “You’re new, right?” I nod. “Don’t listen to Evangeline. Stick up to her. No one ever does, so she just gets away with it. The school won’t ever do anything about her because they’re afraid of her dad, but… whenever you can, just be mean to her. She deserves it.”

Looking up at him, I notice that his eyes are really pretty. Though his dark hair falls over his forehead and mostly covers them, they’re a very light, very cold shade of blue. They’re almost mesmerizing. So much so that I don’t realize how long I have been staring. He turns to leave, awkward, before I snap out of it.

“I’m Mare.” 

I have no idea why I introduce myself, but he laughs loudly. “Mare?” I nod again. “Like a horse?” Another nod. “That name sucks.”

I shrug. “Yeah, I know. It’s usually why people pick on me.”

He smiles. “Don’t let them. Punch them in the throat. Own your terrible name.” I look at my feet, and he sighs. “I understand, you know.” 

Looking back up, my eyes trace his pointed features and his high cheekbones. “You understand what?”

“The sucky name thing.” He reaches out a fist, bumping my own. “Don’t let anyone get to you. My name is  _ Maven. _ ”

My hand jumps to cover my mouth and hide a snort. “Maven?”

He nods. “I know. It’s awful.” Maven winks down at me, and my cheeks suddenly feel hot. “Not as bad as yours, though.”

We laugh for a moment, before I realize I am now very late for my next class. “Oh I, uh, I have to go, I think.”

“Right.” His smile is crooked, flashing with perfectly straight teeth. “You’re not the type to just skip, huh?”

I furrow my brow, thinking about it. My grades have always been terrible, and I definitely did skip class a few times in middle school. I consider his offer… but, “I would, but it’s my first day.” I search for the right words. “I want to make a good impression.”

He only shrugs. “I respect that. Going to class is your thing. My thing, though,” he turns, heading down the hallway towards the entrance to the school. “Is that I’m already late. Why bother showing up at all?”

My lips purse as he waves over his shoulder. “Try not to get your ass kicked again, Mare.”

I shake my head, turning the other way, and while I know that I should hurry to class, I walk at my own leisurely pace.  _ Maven’s right. I shouldn’t let things get to me. I’m already late, what’s a few more minutes. _

Eventually, I reach where I’m supposed to be going, my head spinning and thinking about the person I just met. I wonder if we can become friends. The teacher in my next class is angry about me being late, and I tell her I got lost and apologize. She doesn’t listen, opting to give me a detention slip and angrily telling me to take my seat.  _ Maybe skipping was a good idea, after all. _

Luckily for me, the only open seat is at the back, and I walk to it, ignoring the judgemental looks from the students and the weight of the slip in my hand. Instead, I focus on the boy in the seat next to the empty one. Green eyes shining and a broad smile on his face.

_ Kilorn. _

“Barrow,” He notes as I slide into the seat, slumping and hiding my face in my hands. “Day one and you’ve already got detention.” He tsks the same way my mother does when she’s angry. “Wait until I tell your father.”

I kick him under the table. “Shut it, Warren.”

Kilorn laughs, opening the spiral bound book in front of him and beginning to scribble out some doodles. Kilorn and I have always had a good relationship. If I’m being honest, I’ve missed him, even though he was just over at my house for dinner the night before.   
This is class is just as boring as the first, the teacher droning about things I don’t really care about. I spend most of the class looking at Kilorn’s notebook and laughing at his dumb little drawings.

Gisa meets me for lunch, and the two of us and Kilorn make our way outside to sit under a tree as we eat. Gisa tells us all about her day, about the friends she has already made and how easily she’s been fitting in so far. Some girls even walk past and wave at her. As my sister and my best friend get into an argument about ducks, I gaze out onto the open field behind the school.

The grass stretches on for what seems like miles, and a few boys toss a football around for fun. My eyes snag on one boy in particular, taller and more muscly than the other two. His dark hair shines with a bit of sweat, and he wipes his face with the bottom of his shirt, exposing his toned abdomen.

“Woah, Mare. Quit drooling.” Kilorn teases, snapping me away from the sight and pulling my attention back to my group. 

“Sorry,” I say, shrugging. “Kinda cute.”

Gisa opens her mouth to comment, but Kilorn interrupts her. “Cute? Jesus, Mare. Don’t say that out loud.” He drops his voice to a whisper, forcing my sister and I to lean in and listen. “That’s  _ Cal Calore. _ He’s rich, he’s popular, he’s the  _ quarterback. _ ”

_ What about Cal? _

One of the girls whispered that to Evangeline just a few hours before. Maybe that’s who she meant.

“Plus,” Kilorn continues, popping a grape into his mouth. “Samos is usually glued to his hip.”

“Samos?”

He nods. “Evangeline Samos.” My back stiffens. “She  _ owns _ this school, and apparently, she own Calore, too.”

“Yeah, I figured she did,” They both look at me, wondering how I know her. I sigh. “She pushed me into a locker this morning.”

Gisa grows angry, and goes to say something but Kilorn cuts her off again. “Exactly. She’s awful, Mare. So you have to understand me when I say don’t cross her again by staring at her man.”

I consider that for a moment before trying to change the subject. “Can ducks fly?”

Kilorn and Gisa speak at the same time.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Shaking my head and ignoring them as they argue about it, I turn my attention back to the field. The three boys in the center keep tossing the football, and I almost smile.  _ Evangeline’s man, huh? _ I laugh to myself, rolling my eyes.  _ Well, if she’s just going to keep messing with me, I might as well mess with her too. _

My eyes fall on Cal again, and he catches my gaze. My cheeks heat up as he tilts his head before going back to his little game. Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I swear I see him wink.


	2. The Fish in the River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mare's first day at school, Kilorn waits for her while she gets through detention. He then finds himself plagued with jealousy when she gets curious about a certain "cute" guy.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's kind of short but idk how to write for kilorn haha

I spend most of my day continuing to sketch in the little spiral notebook I keep at all times. Not dedicated to schoolwork, just something to doodle in. In my very last class of the day, Mr. Jacos drones on for what seems like years about the history of Norta and how it’s insanely important to pay attention today.

Instead, I doodle a picture of my best friend.

Smiling down at the page, I finally connect the hands of the two figures. I rest my head against my left palm as I trace little hearts around the small drawing, wishing that Mare and I could exist like that outside of this little notebook.

Ever since she came up to me in the seventh grade, and asked _“Why the hell are you fishing in a puddle?”_ , I have had this unbearable feeling overcome me. Even though I’ve known her for so long, I still have moments where I get nervous around her. Both because I don’t want to mess things up between us but also because I think she is much cooler than I am.

It’s a strange thing to admit, that you’re in love with your best friend. But, somehow, I still am.

That’s why, when Gisa opts to walk home without her, I sit on the bench in front of Archeon High, waiting for Mare to get out of detention.

I startle as she hits me in the back of the head with a pebble. “Wha- Mare?”

She laughs, and I feel my cheeks heat up a little. _She has a beautiful laugh._ “What are you doing here?” She asks, poking my bicep as I stand and gather my things. “I told you and Gee, you didn’t have to wait for me.”

“What, and let you walk home by yourself? All the way to the Stilts?”

“Um,” Mare begins, starting to walk down the sidewalk, me at her side. “Didn’t you let Gisa walk home by herself?”

I laugh then. “Oh, yeah, guess I did.”

She laughs too, and we walk in silence for a bit before I ask the question that had been bothering me since lunch. “So…” I begin, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. “Calore, huh?”

Mare looks confused for a second, furrowing her brow. “What, the football guy?”

I nod. “You were drooling over him.”

“I was not _drooling_.” Mare snickers, shoving me slightly. “It’s nothing.”

“That wasn’t nothing.”

“Ugh,” She groans, turning to look up at me. “Why do you care so much, anyway? I looked at one cute boy today, so what?”

I roll my eyes. “You didn’t just look at _one_ cute boy, Mare. You looked at _Cal Calore_!”

“So? You keep saying that like I have any idea what that means.”

“Calores are trouble.” I shudder, thinking about Evangeline and the absolute hell she has made my last two years of high school. Two whole years of being shoved into lockers and getting made fun of for no reason. “Everyone in his whole group is trouble.” She looks up at me still, waiting for me to elaborate, and I sigh before continuing. “Evangeline and her brother Ptolemus kind of own the school. Everyone’s afraid of them and they pick on people just because they can.

“Then there’s Elane Haven and Sonya Iral. Both cheerleaders, both cold hearted and evil.” Mare laughs a little at that, covering her mouth to hide a snort. _Adorable._ “Elane, Sonya and Evangeline own all the bathrooms, the lunch table on the platform by the History wing, and the entirety of the hallway leading to the entrance of the school.”

Mare furrows her brow again. “How can they own the bathrooms?”

I shrug. “Beats me, but try to avoid those places. It’d be suicide, walking right into their territory.”

“Okay… What about her brother?”

Sighing, I adjust the straps on my backpack, ignoring the image of the inside of my own locker. The image still burned in my mind from being locked in their for three hours sophomore year. “Ptolemus Samos, Oliver Laris, and Cal Calore are like…” I search for the right words. “Big dumb jocks sent up from hell by Satan by himself just to bring his hellish wrath upon the mortals in this school.” Mare really cackles, then, but I’m being completely serious.

“Ptolemus is tall, pompous, and just as cold as his ice queen of a little sister. He’s a linebacker, and definitely built like one. Oliver is the only one not on the football team, but he’s captain of the basketball team. He’s just as mean as Ptolemus, but one million times smarter. He’s valedictorian.” I nod my head from side to side. “Cal Calore is… fiery, to say the least. He’s the quarterback, and literally the most popular kid in this whole school. Because I do my best to avoid him, all I know is that he rides a motorcycle, hooks up with almost any girl that bats her eyelashes at him, and throws crazy, totally off the chain keg parties like, once a month.

“They're all seniors, so luckily this is the last year I’ll have to put up with them.”

Mare thinks for a moment, then slows her pace a little. “How is he _trouble_ if you don’t know anything about him?”

My eyes widen. “Mare, were you not listening?” She frowns, and I sigh again. “Fine. The only time I’ve ever talked to Cal was when he half-heartedly apologized for Ptolemus shoving my head in a toilet.”

She stifles another laugh, covering her mouth again. I glare at her. “Sorry, that’s not funny.” She nudges me, then keeps walking normally. “But he apologized, right? Maybe that means he’s nice.”

“Nice?” I laugh a little. “Nice people aren’t friends with assholes, Mare.”

Mare laughs again, louder this time. “So, what? I’m not nice then?”

“Wha-”

“Because my best friend is an asshole, too.”

I frown, rolling my eyes at her again as she giggles quietly, her hair bouncing with the movement of her shoulders. I watch her for a moment, entranced, before deciding to change the subject. “How was detention?”

Mare sighs. “It was okay. I know Mom’s going to be furious though.”

I shake my head, nudging her with my shoulder. “Your mom never gets mad.”

“She does. Just not when you’re around. Which is like, all the time.”

I laugh again, knowing that she’s right. I’m literally almost always there. It’s hard to keep the house by myself, and I prefer to spend time with the Barrows. My dad died when I was 12, and my mom couldn’t take the stress of raising me on her own, so she just… left. My house is small, and Mare’s mom helps me pay all of the bills. I can only afford so much by just selling fish.

The Barrows have been nothing but kind to me, ever since Mare found me that day. Sure, I give Mare a lot of shit, and I tease everyone in that too small house, but I love them like my own. Thinking about my parents hurts, and I hate that I kept the damn house instead of just going to an orphanage or something. But, through it all, Mare has been there for me. Mare is a teeny tiny lifeboat, keeping me floating above the terrifying ocean, even though my feet are tied to cinder blocks.

Sometimes, I wish I would just drown. Let the weight of everything drag me to the bottom of the ocean, past all the fish and the garbage, plunging into the darkest depths until I can’t see or feel anything at all. But Mare is a lighthouse, shining a bright light and coaxing me out of the water. She’s what keeps me swimming.

Like always, she knows exactly what I’m thinking, nudging me. “Hey, you’re not thinking of fish metaphors for your crappy life again, are you?”

“How did you know?”

“Jesus, Kilorn.” She laughs a little, wrapping her tiny arms around my waist, causing my cheeks to heat up again.“Stay at my place tonight? We can watch Gossip Girl.”

I smile, genuinely. “That sounds amazing, Mare.”

If I am a fish, Mare is a kind fisherman, pulling me from the deep ocean with her soft, loving hands.


	3. The Cool Bike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After struggling with his homework for what seems like hours, Cal seeks help from his little brother. Then, the popular kids discuss the new arrivals.
> 
> POV Cal

I violently crumple the paper in front of me, balling it up and throwing it across the room. The pencil in my left hand snaps next, the wood splintering and falling onto the table in front of me. My elbows pivot, angling so I can turn my palms skyward and smack my face into them, muffling a scream with my hands.

Math has never been my strong suit. It’s quite literally the dumbest thing I have ever encountered. Sure, simple stuff is alright, and basic counting and addition and subtraction is just fine. But calculus?  _ No thank you. _ The chair beneath me skids across marble tiles, gliding away from me and slamming against the wall of the dining room as I stand. My bare footsteps are heavy on the tile, stomping on the white floor until I hit the spiraling staircase.

In my rage, I don’t note the rest of my house as I pass through it, not slowing my speed until I hit a small door at the end of a long hallway. The room is dimly lit, and I make my way past his bed and to a set of double doors, throwing them open and stepping out onto the balcony.

My brother startles, looking up from his book and raising an eyebrow. I throw myself into the seat next to him, swinging my legs up onto the railing the same way he does. I wrinkle my nose as my nostrils fill with smoke, and I quickly turn to glare at him and the cigarette between is teeth.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “Math is fucking stupid, Mavey.”

Maven chuckles, placing a bookmark in his book and closing it, setting it on the table beside him. “With that attitude, you won’t ever get the hang of it, Cal.” 

“Exactly. I won’t  _ ever _ get the hang of it.” He snorts, holding the cigarette his fingers and turning away from me to blow the smoke into the wind. “And that smells awful.”

Shrugging, Maven smirks at me. “Why do you think I’m out here? If you don’t like it, go back inside.”

I just groan, folding my arms. “You have to do it for me.”

“Your homework? No way.”

“What!? You have before!”

Maven sighs, shaking his head. “That was different. That was last year.”

I frown, using my thumb to crack my knuckles. I think back to the previous year, trying to come up with some way to convince him. Again. My brother has always done most of my homework for me, ever since I got held back and had to go through the seventh grade  _ twice. _ My stepmom was so mad that Maven just opted to do the shit for me instead, so I wouldn’t get in trouble again. Since that time, it’s better to just let him do all of it, instead of failing and getting held back again.

That’s mostly why my brother is so smart, and why even though he skips school almost every other day, he’s still top of his class. He does all of his own work, plus all of the work for the grade above him. “You know,” I begin, looking to Maven with the saddest eyes I can muster. “You’re the reason I got into calculus in the first place…”

“Don’t start,” Maven points his finger at me, frowning. “You’re always doing this.”

“I wouldn’t even have to put up with this if you didn’t get me here.”

He’s quiet for a moment, inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm, occasionally huffing out a cloud of smoke. I wrinkle my nose, turning away from him and looking out at the massive garden that is our backyard. It’s well kept, but not by any of us. Dad keeps maids. The maids keep the garden, among other things.

I briefly wonder how my stepmom would react if she caught Maven like this, sprawled on the balcony, lost in a book, smoke billowing into the wind like a chimney. She’d probably be mad, like the last time they fought over his smoking habits. Personally, I can’t stomach the tobacco. Just sitting next to Maven makes me feel sick. I still can’t figure out how he stands it. I thought that when she got angry, he would stop, but of course he didn’t.

My mother died before I was old enough to remember her, and shortly after, my dad got remarried.  _ Elara. _ She’s Maven’s mother. Not mine. I hate her, though my dad tries to make me at least tolerate her. But somehow, Maven hates her more than I do. That’s why he keeps up his smoking habits. He doesn’t like it either, but he knows it bugs her.

Maven sighs. “Fine.” He flicks the end bit of his cigarette off the balcony, letting it sizzle in the fountain beneath us. “But you’re gonna pay me this time.”

“No need, man.” I smirk, smacking my hand on his leg. “Dad and Elara are out of town this weekend.”

“So?”

“So…” He never likes my parties, but I tell him anyway. “Ptolemus is gonna get a keg.”

My brother groans, swinging his legs off the railing so he can stand. He gestures to the doors with one hand, waiting for me to stand with him. “Go away, Cal.”

I huff, staying seated and folding my arms. “You can bring  _ Thomas. _ ”

Maven straightens at the mention of his friend, and he cocks his head to the side. I narrow my eyes. “I won’t tell Dad.”

He nods, “Then I won’t tell about your party.” He winks at me, gesturing again. 

Finally I stand, patting his back before exiting the way I came, plowing through his room and out the doors, heading to my own room to throw myself on my bed.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Calculus class goes by in a blur, as usual, but I don’t even bother paying attention or taking any notes, knowing that Maven will help me out. The entire school day passes like the one before, blurring and seeming like it only lasts a few minutes. The gang meets in the usual spot for lunch, perched on a table by the History wing, close enough to the field so the boys and I can go throw if we need to.

Evangeline has latched onto my side as usual, picking fries off my plate and eating them slowly. I don’t know why she’s like that.  _ Clingy. _ It’s weird. Ptolemus keeps glancing between his sister and I, and I kick him under the table. I keep telling him that there’s nothing going on between us, so why won’t he listen?

It’s Eve that’s the problem. She’s everywhere I am, at all times. Luckily she’s a year younger than I am, so I don’t have any classes with her, but that just means I have to suffer being around her for every second I’m not losing my mind in a boring class.

“Have you guys seen the new girl?” Evangeline crows, raking her sharp nails over my forearm. It gives me chills. 

“Which one?” Oliver asks with a frown, shaking his head. “Both are weird, if you ask me.”

Sonya nods her head at Elane, wiggling her eyebrows. “The little one looks like you.”

Elane cheeks turn red, burying her face into Evangeline’s shoulder.

“Aren’t they Barrows?” Ptolemus asks, rolling his eyes. That would make sense, considering the coloring of their skin and eyes. I turn in my seat, away from Evangeline and over to the large tree on the side of the field, finding the new kids in the same spot they ate at the day before. The one that looks like Elane is a bit different, lighter in skin tone and hair color. But the other…

She meets my gaze, and I can see her brothers in her eyes.  _ She stared at me for a while yesterday, _ I realize, tilting my head and continuing to watch her.  _ I wonder why. _ Like the time before, I am careful to make sure she sees me winking, and watch her expression shift to surprise as I turn back to my friends. “Didn’t you and the youngest dude get into a fight?” I look to Ptolemus, trying to remember that guy’s name. “...Shade?”

Ptolemus runs his hands over the football in his hands. “Yeah.” He frowns, his eyes going distant. “I should’ve killed him.”

Evangeline barks out a laugh, but I don’t, turning to look anywhere but the table and the new girl. Hopefully I’ll find something interesting. Instead, my eyes find Maven and his weird friend, sitting on the roof of the small building made to hold sporting equipment. They’re both wearing all black, covering every inch of themselves despite the heat. Maven’s circular sunglasses glint in the sunlight as he blows a puff of smoke, blowing right into his friend’s face.

_ They’re so weird. _ I think, turning back to my fries and picking at them. I realize that I have no idea why my brother is so strange, besides growing up with a mom as evil as his. Lunch passes in a blur, just like the rest of the day, until I find myself in front of the school, digging through my pockets for the keys to my bike.

I keep searching as my hands land on the two helmets settled on top of the bike, and I turn quickly as I hear a low whistle.

The new girl stands behind me, one on her hip and the other holding something.  _ My keys _ . “Thief.” I state, narrowing my eyes.

She struggles to suppress a laugh. “Obviously.” She steps forward, handing them to me. “No, uh, you dropped them on the sidewalk back there.”

_ Oh. _ I shrug, dropping my bag to the ground as I wait for my brother, looking at the new girl up close. She’s very short, and I try my best not to make it obvious that I have to look down at her. Her hair has grey ends, which is a bit weird, but Ptolemus and Evangeline both die their hair grey, too, so who am I to judge?

She runs a hand through the silver ends, trailing up into the rest of the dark brown tangles framing her face. “Cool bike.” She notes, tipping her head.

“Thanks,” I reply, winking.

The new girl points a finger up at me. “So you  _ do  _ keep doing that.”

I laugh a little, shrugging again. “I like to mess with people.”

“So I’ve heard…” She puts her hands in her pockets, kicking the grass beneath her feet a little. “I’m Mare, by the way.”

“Cal.”

“I know.” I furrow my brow, but she smiles. “You have quite the reputation, Calore.”

I nod my head from side to side, knowing who the third person she sat with at lunch was. “Warren’s been talking, huh?”

She nods, her smile holding firm. “Kilorn’s been my friend since the seventh grade. He tells me everything.” Then, it’s Mare’s turn to narrow her eyes. “Swirlies, huh?”

I laugh, raising my hands. “That was Ptolemus. Not me.”

“Sure…” She sighs, turning to look at her sister and Warren, waiting for her on the sidewalk. “I’ve got to go..”

I smile then, not wanting to keep her from her friends. “I understand.”

“It was nice meeting you.” She says, fidgeting with the buttons on her jacket.

I jingle the keys still in my hand. “Thanks for these. See you around.” I make sure to wink again, and she blushes, her cheeks burning red as she turns away from, almost running to catch up with Elane’s doppelganger and the fish boy.

_ Interesting. _ I think to myself, leaning against the wall to keep waiting for my brother.  _ Very interesting. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi this is for my friend Madison so don't get your hopes up.
> 
> I ship Marecal, but...  
> She doesn't ;)


	4. The Emoji War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While walking back to school, Mare and Kilorn argue about whether or not it's too soon for Gisa to ask out a classmate. Later, Mare realizes that the girls of Archeon High are starting to get jealous of her.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry for any wait, i've been binging 13 reasons why season 2
> 
>  
> 
> the marecal in this chapter is hella pure btw

 

I have always had very strange dreams. For as long as I can remember, I have only dreamed of something obscure. Something that would never possibly happen in real life, ever. That’s why on the walk to school, with Gisa and Kilorn on either side of me, droning about things that I don’t care about, I think about the dream I had the night before.

Because it wasn’t strange.

I dreamt of Cal Calore.

I guess meeting him was memorable. It had to be, in order for me to think about him. I smile to myself, looking at my leather boots as I walk, thinking about his little smirk. He is undeniably attractive, for starters. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever laid my eyes on someone so…  _ handsome _ . The first few times I saw him, he was across the field, looking at me from afar. Up close, I could see his jawline more clearly. The choppiness of his hair.  _ The outline of his muscles under his shirt. _

“What do you think, Mare?”

Blinking a few times, I look up to see Gisa staring at me with wide eyes.  _ Up, _ because even though she’s younger, she’s a little taller than I am. “Huh?”

Gisa shakes her head, rolling her eyes slightly as she realizes I haven’t been paying attention. “I asked if you think I should go for it.”

I stare at her, blankly. “Go for what?”

Kilorn laughs, nudging me with his elbow. “She’s only been at this school for two days, and-”

“ _ Three _ days, now” Gisa interrupts him, raising her fingers to show the days.

Sighing, Kilorn continues, correcting himself. “Excuse me,  _ three days _ , and she wants to ask out some chick in her biology class.”

“What?” I turn to my sister, a smirk on my face. “You wanna ask someone out? Like on a date?” She nods. “ _ Who? _ ”

Gisa smiles, holding the straps of her backpack tightly. “Heron Welle. I was doodling a flower, and she saw and said it was nice. We talked about gardening for, like, the whole class.” She turns, moving in front of me to walk backwards, practically bouncing with excitement. “And it’s not just biology, I have  _ four _ classes with her. Four!”

Beside me, Kilorn shakes his head. “She’s a stranger. You literally just met her, and already you want to marry her!”

“Not marry! Just, I don’t know… kiss her a little bit.”

“Gisa!” I kick a pebble up at her, scuffing my boot along the sidewalk as she laughs. I look to Kilorn. “I don’t know, Fishy,  _ four whole classes? _ That’s more than Shade ever had with Farley, right?”

My sister clasps her hands together, her smile widening. “Exactly! And they’ve been together for almost three years now!”

Kilorn still isn’t convinced, but I keep going. “I think you should do whatever makes you happy, Gee.”

“What if she’s awful?” Gisa raises an eyebrow at Kilorn, who folds his arms. “I mean… I’ve told you both,  _ everyone _ at this school is absolutely awful. Everyone is mean and rich and...and....”

“Genuinely nice and interested in gardening?” Gisa finishes for him, before turning and walking regularly, keeping her pace so she stays a few feet ahead of us. “Thank you for being reasonable, Mare. I might not ask her today, but I am going to at some point.”

Though it feels like we’ve reached a conclusion, they argue the  _ entire _ rest of the trek to school. Kilorn and I say goodbye to Gisa at the front entrance as she bounds down the hallway, ready to go look for her new lady friend. I turn to my best friend, who shrugs as he turns to walk to his own first class. I continue my walk at a normal pace, hanging back a little to observe the students in the hall.

Every person looks vastly different from the last. For some reason, all of the girls look at me with disgust. I honestly have no idea what I could have done to piss them all off.  _ Maybe Evangeline is spreading rumors about me.  _ I think, pushing through the crowd with my arms crossed. Continuing down the hall only makes it worse, girls start stepping away from me with a grimace on their faces, like touching me could get them sick.

It starts to hurt my feelings a little before I spot a familiar face.

Cal Calore walks down the hallway towards me, towering over most of the students in height. He’s flanked by two guys, each just as large as he is, and the crowd kind of parts for them as they walk towards me. I go to move out of the way with the rest of kids, but Cal waves at me, like he’s going to approach. I start to panic, not wanting to draw more attention to myself.

“Hey!” His smile is crooked, and it makes him way less scarier than he appears. He’s huge and scary, always looking down on people. But his smile reaches his eyes, and I can see that he’s extremely kind.  _ Kilorn doesn’t know what he’s talking about. _

I smile back, slowing to a stop. “Hey.”

Cal gestures to the men on either side of him, one shorter and more stocky, his nose pointed downwards and his eyes narrowed. The other, taller and broader, his grey hair and angled eyes making me more anxious than I already am.  _ He definitely looks like Evangeline. _ “This is Oliver, and Ptolemus.” His smile widens, showing his perfect teeth as he talks. “Guys, this is Mare.”

Oliver waves to be polite, but Ptolemus folds his arms. “You’re related to Shade Barrow?”

I nod, wondering how he knows that. “Uh… yeah. That’s my brother.”

“He tried to fight me once.” Ptolemus cracks his neck, and I find myself taking a step backwards.

Cal, however, steps toward me again, getting close enough so I can feel the strange amount of heat coming from his body. It makes me sweat. “Are you doing anything this weekend?”

Looking around, completely shocked, I notice the girls that are still glaring, and suddenly it makes sense. No one has been spreading rumors, but somehow they all know that I met Cal.  _ They think I’m taking him away from them. They’re jealous. _ I realize, smirking to myself. “Not that I know of.” I shrug, looking into Cal’s wide brown eyes.

He looks around, before leaning down and lowering his voice to whisper in my ear. “I’m throwing a party Saturday night. You should come.”

I blink up at him, feeling my own eyes widen. I’ve never been to a party before. “Um….” I look around again, this time watching Ptolemus and Oliver. They stand awkwardly, arms folded. “Just me?”

Cal nods, then thinks for a second. “Why, do you want to bring your sister?”

I force a smile. “Yeah. And Kilorn Warren. They’re my friends.”

Ptolemus scoffs low in his throat, then places a hand on Cal’s shoulder. Cal shrugs him off, staying focused on me. “Never had a freshman at one of my parties. Think she can handle it?”

“Totally. Gisa’s really cool.”

He furrows his brow, then shrugs, his smiling returning. “The more the merrier! And you can bring Warren.” He nudges Ptolemus before he can protest. “Anything to get you there.”

My cheeks heat up, and I shift uncomfortably on my feet. “So…. should I-”

“I can text you the details, if you want.”

I clench my jaw to keep it from hanging open, trying my best to seem like I’m cool and unfazed by how hot and intimidating he is. “Yeah, that’d be cool.”  _ You’ve said cool twice now, Mare, stop being lame. _ I think, as I reach into my back pocket to pull out my phone.

Cal takes my phone once I unlock it, and all of the whispering in the hall suddenly stops. I look back at the girls lining the walls, realizing that all of their mouths are hanging open anyway. I put all of my focus into not shaking as Cal places the phone back in my hands. “Text me sometime,” He smiles, raising his shoulders a little. “That way I’ll have your number.”

He looks up as the first bell rings, signaling that everyone in the hall is going to be late for class soon. “We should go, then.” Cal looks at his friends as the rest of the kids in the hall start to scramble, getting to their classes. “It was nice seeing you, Mare.” He winks, unsurprisingly, moving around me and continuing down the hallway.

Only Oliver and Ptolemus look back at me as I stand there awkwardly, nudging Cal on either side and whispering things to him. I look down at my phone in my hands, noticing that Cal added himself to my contacts. My heart skips a beat as I see what he put above his phone number.

_ Cal, with a winking emoji. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The lecture around me continues, but I have absolutely no idea what Mr. Jacos is talking about. I spend the first part of this class staring down at my phone under the desk. The ‘new message’ screen is open, and Cal’s contact has been selected, but I have no idea what to say.  _ If I text him today, will it be too soon? Does that seem too eager? Should I wait until the day of the party? _

I glance at the clock, noticing that there’s only twenty minutes left of this class. Taking a deep breath, I decide that I don’t even need to have a conversation with him. Just something simple, something so that he can have my number.

Using my thumbs, I quickly type ‘ **_Hey, it’s Mare_ ** _. _ ’ Then decide that it sounds too formal, and immediately erase it. I think for a few more minutes, agonizing about what to say before I sigh, deciding to just get it over with.

I only send the winking emoji he used for his name.

I barely have time to catch my breath before my phone buzzes, Cal’s response is immediate. My eyes fall on the emoji he sent back, with the tongue sticking out. I stare for a second, before scrolling through the emoji selection and deciding on the clown.

Cal responds with the ghost in two seconds.

I send the jack o'lantern.

He sends the dancing woman.

I reply with the eyes.

He sends the french fries.

The smiling devil. 

The skull.

The praying hands.

The robot.

The crown.

When Cal sends the kissing emoji, winking and blowing a heart, I immediately shoot back the middle finger.

Cal responds with words this time.

**_damn thats cold_ **

I smile to myself, looking around to see if anyone else knows how amazing I feel. I sit in my own little bubble of happiness, completely frozen in my chair as the whole world continues around me. It sort of feels like the only people who exist in this moment as me and Cal Calore, the only ones living and breathing. Nothing and no one else matters. There is only us.

When I look back at my phone, the three moving dots make me nervous, and heart starts pounding in my ears.  _ He’s typing. _

**_also texting in class is bad for u_ **

My smile widens.

**_Aren’t you doing the same thing?_ **

He takes longer than a few seconds this time, and I start to panic. Is he angry with me? Did I say something wrong? I shouldn’t have said that. I put my phone face down in my lap before forcing my attention back to Mr. Jacos. He has his back turned still, writing on the board and continuing to drone. I realize some of the students are asleep, and I focus on the sound of their snores before the bell rings.

My phone buzzes again as I pick up my bag.

**_touchee_ **

I laugh to myself, standing and stretching a little before flinching as something hits the back of my neck. Reaching my hand up to feel what it was, I turn around to spot Maven, still slumped in his chair in the back corner of the room. I frown, closing the distance between us and walking over to greet him. “Why throw things at me?”

Maven shrugs, continuing to scratch his pen into the wood of the desk, carving some strange symbol. “Why laugh to yourself like a crazy person?”

My face grows hot, and I get defensive. “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re new.” Maven states, matter-of-fact. “Who are you already texting?”

“I’m not allowed to have friends?”

He shrugs again, finally standing from his seat and flinging his bag over the shoulder of his leather jacket. “Do whatever you want, man.” He thumps the back of my neck, and I reach up to bat his hand away. “What are you doing for lunch?”

I think as we exit the classroom together, and I try not to look excited when I feel the phone buzz again. I don’t look right away, in order to not seem rude. “I don’t know, I usually just sit under a tree.”

Maven sticks his tongue out, pretending to gag. “Lame. Tree-sitting is dumb.”

“Why do you ask?”

He runs a hand through his hair, effectively tousseling it so more strands fall over his eyes. “I have one friend, and he’s out today.”

_ Oh. _ I look up at him, trying to ignore my phone as it buzzes again. “Wanna come sit with us? Tree-sitting might be dumb, but we tend to have debates.”

“Debates?”

I nod. “Mostly about ducks or Gossip Girl reruns.”

Maven thinks for a second before smiling. “Okay. Sounds cool. I’ve never watched Gossip Girl, though.”

“What?!” I shove his arm, laughing with him. “It’s a classic.”

He shrugs again. “I’m more of a Glee person myself.”

I laugh louder, before realizing that he’s serious. “Really? Glee sucks.”

“No it doesn’t. Shut up.” Maven pouts, folding his arms and glaring at me. “Is it cool if I sit with you though? Aren’t you friends with the fish guy?”

“Kilorn?” He nods. “Why does everyone call him that? I mean, I know why I call him that, but-”

Maven looks around to make sure no one is listening before telling me. “Freshman year, he told people that he was going to go fishing.”

“And?”

“Ptolemus Samos hung a dead fish in his locker.”

My eyes widen. “That’s awful, Maven.”

He shrugs again. “I didn’t do it.”

We keep walking in silence before I go to turn into my next classroom. “This is me,” I say, pointing to the door. “You can come sit with us. It’s cool.”

“Cool.” Maven smiles at me. “You can explain the entire plot of Gossip Girl.”

“I will definitely do that, just wait.” He laughs again, pointing at me with his fingers and moving his thumbs as he turns to continue down the hall. After taking my seat in class I look down at my phone, eager to see what I missed.

I smile as I realize both texts are from Cal.

**_ptolemus told me to tell u not to bring fish boy to my party_ **

**_i told him to fuck off. i want u to come_ **

I laugh before I respond with the fish emoji, my heart continuing to pound as I realize what he’s saying.  _ He really wants me to come to his party. _


	5. The New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilorn and Gisa are surprised when Mare brings a new friend to eat lunch with them. Then, Kilorn opens up about his ongoing feud with Ptolemus Samos
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: I have only ever seen part of one episode of Glee, so I had to google "What is the best season of Glee?" Correct me if I am wrong.  
> Also idk why all the kilorn chapters are angsty so far
> 
> ALSO SPOILER WARNING FOR IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED GOSSIP GIRL LMAO

 

The grass is oddly cool on my neck as I lay back to look up into the tree. I’m the first one here, so instead of opening my brown lunch bag I decide to rest my eyes a little. The sun glares down from the sky, burning holes into my eyelids as I keep them closed, forcing me to raise my forearm to shield myself from the light.

I don’t look up as someone kicks my side, instead keeping my face hidden and groaning in exasperation. “Where’s Mare?” The voice following the kick is Gisa’s, I only shrug in response, rolling over to face away from her. She keeps prodding, stepping over me to sit next to my head. “She got here first yesterday, didn’t she?”

“I don’t know,” I say, finally glancing up at her. Gisa sits with her legs crossed, setting her lunchbox in front of her and opening a ziploc bag full of grapes. “Maybe she’s dead.”

Gisa punches my arm, making me finally sit up. “Not funny, Kilorn. What if she’s actually dead?”

I roll my eyes, snatching the grape from her hands and popping it into my mouth. “She’s not,” I say dismissively, though the thought of Mare being dead makes me sweat. “How’s your girl?”

“She’s great, but not my girl yet.” Gisa explains, grinning widely. “My plan to ask her out is… complicated.”

“What’s the plan?”

She sighs, squishing a grape with her teeth. “Well, first I have to get to know her. Then, convince her that I’m amazing and make her become my best friend. We’ll tell each other everything and hang out all the time and then, I’ll make her fall in love with me.”

I squint down at her, leaning back on my palms. “Okay, but... “ I search for the right words. “Being friends first is a great way to just get friendzoned, right? I mean, if you like her, isn’t the point to be more than friends?”

“Psh, like you would know, Kilorn.” I furrow my brow, and Gisa sighs. “Isn’t that your plan with Mare, though? Befriend her, then make her yours?”

Frowning, I think on it. Gisa is probably the only person who I’ve actually told about my feelings for Mare, and though she teases me sometimes, she’s usually very nice about it. “Yes, technically, it is.”

“See? So it’ll work out just fi-”

“But,” I interrupt, making sure to hold eye contact with her. “Mare and I have been friends for almost five years, Gisa. And are we anything more than just friends?”

She sighs. “No, I guess not.”

We sit silently for a moment, and I feel another wave of sadness. Sometimes I wish I would just get over Mare. Move on, and find someone new. Be happy for once. But I can’t, because  _ Mare _ makes me happier than anyone else. Gisa nudges me, sensing my emotions. “I’m sorry.”

I open my mouth to dismiss her and tell her it isn’t a big deal, but Gisa points before I can get any words out. I follow the direction of her finger to find Mare, approaching us with a small smile on her face. _Finally,_ I think, before realizing she’s with someone else. “Is she… bringing someone to the tree?”

Gisa nods, and we both watch in horror as Mare brings the stranger up the hill. “It’s way too hot for all that leather,” Gisa giggles, nudging me with her shoulder. “They both must be drowning in sweat.”

“Too edgy,” I agree, before looking up at Mare and the boy she brought with her. I think briefly that I recognize him.  _ Isn’t he in chemistry fifth period? _

“Hey,” Mare smiles down at us, gesturing to us in turn. “This is Kilorn, and my sister, Gisa.” We both wave, and she gestures to the person standing on her left. “This is Maven.”

Maven waves awkwardly, flailing his arm a bit. “‘Sup?”

I nod at him, and Gisa greets him and starts talking and asking questions. The two sit down across from us, in the shade from the tree, and Maven listens to Gisa ramble with wide, blue eyes.

“So, how’d you guys meet? How many classes do you have together? Did you know that Mare wears footie pajamas to sleep? What kind of pajamas do you wear? How do you like this tree? I think we have a pretty good view of the field from here, but I also think it’s too hot. Do you also think this school is way too large for the amount of people in it? Do you watch Gossip Girl? If so, do you ship Chuck and Blair because I do but Kilorn doesn’t. He says it's an unhealthy relationship but I think that they belong together and-”

“Jesus Christ, Gisa, stop.” Mare groans, running her hands down her face. “He doesn’t even watch that show.” Gisa’s jaw drops, and I sigh, turning to them and shaking my head. Mare nudges Maven, then nods her head at her sister. “You can answer if you want… I mean, if you understood any of that.”

“Um…” Maven raises his hands by his face, confused and awkward. “We met when I made fun of her name? I guess? I think… we have two classes together? Maybe? I don’t know, I skip most of them. I like uh…. Silk pajamas. Maybe that’s lame, but I like how they feel. I think trees and nature are dumb, but you’re kind of right, this is a good spot.” He shrugs again, trying to remember what else she asked. “Oh, and I hate this place, so I don’t really care how big it is, as long as I get to leave everyday.”

Mare’s eyebrows raise, and I can’t help but feel a little jealous as she smiles up at him. “Impressive. Not everyone can keep up with her when she gets excited like that.”

Maven looks down at her, returning her smile. “Thomas rambles like that, too. I’m used to it.”

“Thomas, huh?” Mare nudges him again. “Is that your one friend?”

Gisa throws a grape in Mare’s direction, hitting her in the nose. “Oh my god, Mare, you can’t just ask people about having only one friend.”

“But you can ask people what pajamas they wear within two seconds of meeting them?” I retort, taking a bite of the bland sandwich I brought. 

She shrugs. “I just ask the important stuff.”

Mare sighs. “I wasn’t trying to be mean, it’s just.. That’s what he said earlier, right?”

She turns to Maven who nods. “Yeah. Thomas is my one friend.”

Gisa smiles, passing him a grape. “Well, you can have more than one friend if you start watching Gossip Girl.”

Smiling, Mare kicks Gisa’s foot with her own. “He only watches Glee.”

Gisa practically screams, making Maven flinch and drop the grape onto the grass. Mare and I only laugh, we’re used to it by now. “I LOVE GLEE!” She shouts, wiggling in the grass. “Which season is your favorite?”

“Season three is the best, by far-”

“Yes exactly season three is the most superior season!!”

While Gisa and Maven begin to reminisce on the ‘most iconic musical numbers’, I get a chill as Mare leans over and lays her head on my shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I smile down at her, trying not to let my face turn too red. “What’s up?”

I can feel her shrug, her shoulder bumping into mine. “I got invited to a party earlier. I said I would only go if you came, too.”

Frowning, I stare out at the field, watching the jocks stand to start tossing a football around like they always do. “It’s not Calore’s, is it?”

“It is.”

“Damn it, Mare. I thought we talked about him.”

“We did, it’s just,” She starts moving from my shoulder to pull out her phone and open her text messages. “Look how nice he is. I really think you’re wrong about him.”

I take the phone from her, scrolling through several pages of emojis sent back and forth. Sighing, I hand it back. “Mare, trust me, none of them are nice. Especially not-”

“You don’t even  _ know _ him, Kilorn.”

She glares up at me as I frown again. “And you do? Emoji usage doesn’t dictate how nice someone is.”

Mare frowns, too, and the sight hurts me a little. I never want to upset her. “So you won’t go with me?”

I think for a second, knowing that she’ll get more upset if I say no. Mare means a lot to me, and even if she’ll never like me back, I never want to hurt her, not even in the slightest way possible. “How will you even tell your mom we’re going to a party?”

She smiles, and a wave of relief floods over me. Even if I have to go to some stupid party, at least Mare’s happy with me. “We’ll just tell her that Gee and I are spending the night at your house, then we can all go.”

“Oh. Gisa?” I try to mask the pain in my voice.  _ Don’t be stupid, Kilorn. You know she didn’t invite you to be her date. _ “Okay, yeah. Sounds like a plan.”

She smiles again, laying her head back on my shoulder and sighing loudly. “What happened between you and Ptolemus Samos?”

My eyes widen, and I turn to look down at her. “What?”

“He stuck your head in a toilet. And Maven said he put a fish in your locker.”

I glance over at Maven angrily, watching him laugh at Gisa’s impression of Chuck Bass and wondering how he knows about that. “It’s nothing. He’s just a bully. It’s the same reason Evangeline pushed you into that locker, right?”

Mare looks up at me, sighing again. “I ran into her, so she pushed me. I meant, like, did you do something to piss him off?”

“No, he’s just an asshole.”

She doesn’t look convinced. “Kilorn, everyone I have met calls you Fish Boy. Why is that?”

I frown again. “Because he put a fish in my locker, it’s not a big deal.”

“Obviously it was, if the nickname stuck for three years.” She sighs a third time, nuzzling her head into my neck again. “You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to tell me everything.”

Then, it’s my turn to sigh. I hate when she guilt-trips me. “I uh, asked out Wren Skonos in the ninth grade.”

“Who?” 

I point across the field, aiming at the girls sitting on top of the table by the History wing, all in cheerleading uniforms and laughing as their jock friends practically wrestle each other. “You know Evangeline, Elane and Sonya?” Mare nods, raising her head from my shoulder to look. “She’s the fourth one on that table.”

Mare squints, then turns back to me. “Why would that make him hate you?”

“Keep watching.” She looks down at the cheerleaders, her eyes widening as Ptolemus makes his way over to Wren, speaking for a moment before proceeding to make out with her. His friends whistle, and Mare looks back at me. “I didn’t know they were dating.”

She laughs a little, wide eyed. “You asked out his girlfriend?” I nod. “That’s rough, Kilorn.” Mare stays quiet for a minute, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “But you didn’t know, right? And that was so long ago, why would he still be mad?”

I shrug. “That’s just who he is, Mare. Who they  _ all _ are.” She frowns again, knowing exactly what I mean. “I say not to trust them, because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She nods, then throws her arms around me. I hug her back, not bothering to hide the blush on my cheeks. “Thank you, Kilorn. For looking out for me. I’m sorry that happened. But…” She searches for the right words, but I know what she’s going to say. “I don’t think Cal is like that. I really like him. And I think… he like me, too.”

I sigh again, letting her go. “Do whatever makes you happy, Mare.”

She laughs. “I’m not Gisa, I’m not just going to ask him out, okay?”

“Okay.”

Mare opens her mouth to say something else, but stops as she hears what the conversation around ours has morphed into. “And,” Gisa continues, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. “It turns out, that it was _Dan Humphrey_ all along!”

Maven’s eyes widen, his mouth open slightly. “Wha- Dan? Dan was Gossip Girl?”

“Gisa!” Mare kicks her sister again, harder this time. “If you want him to watch it, why the hell would you spoil the whole thing?”

Maven shakes his head. “I asked! I just can’t believe it! How did I not see that coming?” 

I furrow my brow, confused. “Wait, did you explain the  _ entire plot of the show to him _ ? Gisa nods, seemingly very proud of herself. “How do you even manage that?”

“It’s only six seasons.” She shrugs. “You guys seemed like you were having a serious talk, and he asked why he should watch it. I said ‘for the plot twist!’ And he didn’t get it, so I had to explain the context.”

“Now he’ll never watch it though.” Mare frowns again.

Maven waves his arms. “No, I will. My thing with shows and books is that I have to know how it ends before I watch or read it. I love spoilers.”

Gisa laughs again, asking Maven to tell us how great her impressions were, and I find myself falling backward to lay in the grass again, drowning out their laughter in the sunlight. It’s hard to stop myself from almost falling asleep, until Mare lays back with me, laying her arm across my chest and smiling up at me softly.

_ She’s beautiful. _ I think, covering my eyes with my arm again.  _ Cal’s just going to break her heart. I can’t let that happen. I won’t. _


	6. The Pep Rally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal, Evangeline, and the rest of their friends get ready for the upcoming football game, as well as the pep rally happening after lunch. Then, Kilorn gets a little jealous as Mare and Cal start to get closer.
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative titles for this chapter:  
> Cal stares at everything  
> Why is my brother a meme lord  
> Oh no she's hot  
> cal is the only person i am letting say the f word apparently  
> *insert a quote i stole from mpgis here*  
> *gay panic*  
> Marecal flirting  
> cal is a precious baby
> 
> sorry ill stop
> 
>  
> 
> also da party is happenin soon so get ready

Fridays at Archeon High have always been crazy and hectic. Especially on game days. That’s why I stand by myself, leaned against a wall as I try to wipe all of the sweat off my forehead. I look out at the rest of the gym, admiring the amount of decorating that we got done in the past few hours. Pulling my phone out of my pocket so I can make sure we finished setting up before lunch, I realize there’s a text waiting for me. From Mare.

**_Do you like cheese?_ **

I blink for a second, taken aback, but I respond quickly.

**_why yes i do, my favorites gouda_ **

Cracking my knuckles, I prepare to wait for her to text again, but then I remember she’s a fast typer.

**_Isn’t that from She’s The Man?_ **

I laugh, glad she caught my reference.

**_busted. i actually prefer goat cheese_ **

**_Ew. Goat cheese is actual garbage._ **

**_to u maybe, but to me:_ **

I make sure to add the most emojis I can, placing emphasis on the tongue and the heart eyes. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I push myself off the wall, walking towards the center of the basketball court, looking around at all of the posters. The sound of Evangeline’s heels on the wood floor don’t surprise me, and I turn to find her marching towards me, her red, black and silver cheerleading uniform seeming a little too tight on her.

“Hey, Eve.” I wave to her, smiling a little as she quickly closes the distance between us.

She tilts her head to the side. “Tolly thinks there’s something going on between us.”

I laugh, then realize she’s being serious. “That doesn’t make sense. He knows about Elane, right?”

Her face flushes, and she turns away from me to try and hide it. “Of course he does, Cal. He’s just… wary. Mostly of you.”

“Of me?” I laugh again, the sound making her make eye contact with me again. “You’re the one that’s all over me, Evangeline. I don’t want-”

“He thinks you’re hitting on me, and that’s a problem.” Evangeline looks around, stepping towards me and lowering her voice. “You’re the quarterback, I’m the head cheerleader. We have to be together. That’s, like, the laws of highschool.”

I scoff, but humor her. “Okay, if that’s true, then why is Ptolemus so butt hurt about it? If he knows that it's just for show, why would he care?”

She sighs, scratching at her temple with her pointed black nails. “I don’t know, Cal. I don’t know. He’s just…” She thinks, then laughs a bit. “A big dummy.”

“Maybe he’s just trying to start shit?”

“That’s not like him.”

“You’re both insanely dramatic.”

Evangeline gasps, slapping my chest. “Take that back, Calore.”

I step out of her way, turning to go straighten a poster that has gone lopsided. “Nope. I don’t take back  _ the truth. _ ” She frowns, and I shake my head. “Fine, I’ll stop ‘ _ hitting on you.’ _ Even though I haven’t been.”

She sighs again, then follows me, leaning on the wall beside me as I try to straighten the large sign. “Your brother wasn’t in second, today.”

“What?” I turn to her, my brow furrowed. “He should’ve been, I drove him to school this morning.”

“He wasn’t there.”

I sigh, then, knowing my brother too well.  _ He’s skipping. _ I think, placing the tape back over the newly fixed corner. “What a punk bitch.”

Evangeline laughs a bit, covering her mouth with her hand. “Why?”

“If Maven wasn’t there, it means he’s skipping. Probably off with Thomas to do something… reckless.” I scuff the ground with my sneaker, enjoying the sound of the rubber against the gym floor. “And that makes him a punk bitch because he’s not going to be at school for me to force him to go to the rally after lunch.”

She sighs, placing a hand on my shoulder. “So he just wants to hang out with his boyfriend, so what? Pep rallies are dumb anyway.”

“Eve-”

She cuts me off, waving her hand. “Cal, I would be doing the exact same thing if this wasn’t mandatory for me. Do you have any idea how much I’d rather be off with Elane?”

I groan. “No.”

She frowns, reaching up to thump my nose. “You’re being crazy.”

“ _ You’re _ being crazy.” I rub my nose, then try to do the same thing to her. She raises her hand to cover her face before I can get to her. “You hate my brother, why are you defending him right now?”

She nods, shoving my hands away from her face. “I do hate him. But I know what it’s like.” Evangeline sighs again, putting her hand back on my shoulder. “Your brother and I have similar interests, I guess.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure you guys have the exact  _ opposite _ interests, Evangeline.”

Flustered, she corrects herself. “Well, not similar like…. I mean, I’m a lesbian and he’s- uh...”

I laugh shrugging her off. “I know, Eve. I’m just being overprotective is all.”

Evangeline shoves my arm, smiling despite the embarrassment covering her features. Then, she turns gesturing me to follow her across the gym, through the hallway connecting to it and out the front doors. “Are you ready for tonight?”

I feel my shoulders raise again in a shrug, not actually knowing if I’m ready or not. “Am I ever? Pretty sure I just wing the whole ‘football star’ thing.”

“Hey!”

We both look up as Ptolemus jogs down the pavement to meet us, shoving his way between the two of us to walk in the middle. “We have a reputation to keep, today.”

I look up at him, confused. “Reputation?”

Beside him, Evangeline nods, hooking her arm through her brother’s. Ptolemus mirrors her movements, grabbing my elbow and locking our arms together. “Meaning, we have to go sit at the best spot during lunch.” She glances over at me, her steely eyes narrowed. “To look powerful is to be powerful.”

“Jesus, you sound like my stepmom.” I roll my eyes, pulling them towards our usual table, perched on the raised platform by the history wing. “Let’s just hang out-”

“Absolutely not!” Evangeline yanks her arm, pulling me  _ and _ Ptolemus towards the cafeteria, of all places. 

“Woah, Eve.” Ptolemus begins, tripping over his feet a little. “What is this, ninth grade? Only losers eat inside.”

She just smirks, continuing to pull us. “Good thing we won’t be eating.” I open my mouth, but she continues. “We’re maintaining the image of popularity, people! Popular kids  _ don’t eat. _ ”

I laugh out loud, making her face turn red again. “You’re crazy.”

“You’ve already called me that today, Cal. Come up with better insults or you can’t sit with us.”

Driving my feet into the pavement, I force them both to stop, using my weight to make them stumble. “Take that back.”

Evangeline stammers. “Wh-what?”

“Take that back,” I say again. “Or I’ll destroy you.”

Ptolemus scoffs, finally unhooking all of our arms. “You’ll do what?” He raises a silver eyebrow, anger lacing his features. “Need me to remind you what happened to the last person who threatened my little sister?”

She folds her arms beside him, tilting her chin to look down her nose at me, but I answer anyway. “I think that was me, Tol. Remember when I told her that if she didn’t shut up I’d punch her so hard her nose would go back to normal. Y’know…  _ before the nose job. _ ”

Evangeline raises her hands to cover her nose, but Ptolemus cackles, punching me in the arm and making me stumble sideways. “Holy shit, I forgot you said that. Total savage!” He keeps laughing as we follow his sister, who marches angrily towards the cafeteria and slams the door open. “Absolute madlad!!”

I laugh with him, waving to the others waiting for us at a table seated at the front of the cafeteria. We sit with them, and Evangeline starts barking out orders, about who should sit where and why they should listen to her. I end up sitting on top of the table, with Ptolemus on the bench next to my feet. Wren perches in his lap, and I look away from them quickly as he shoves his tongue down her throat.

Oliver sits on the other side of me, lowering his voice so no one can hear him but me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were banging the new girl?”

I choke, coughing harshly and looking at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“Rohr Rhambos said that Tirana Osanos told her you were with the new chick.”

Blinking, I glare at him, growing angry. “Tirana Osanos is a fucking liar.”

Oliver raises his hands in defeat, scooting away from me a little. “Okay, jeez. Cool it, Hothead, I was just wondering.”

I shake my head, turning back and looking out at the kids filing in to sit at their own tables.  _ What does everyone here gossip so much?  _ I wonder, fiddling with the sleeves of my varsity jacket.  _ Even if I was with Mare, it wouldn’t be anyone’s business. _ Despite my anger at the accusation, I can’t keep myself from staring at the door, hoping that Mare would venture into the cafeteria to hang out with me. I stare for the entire lunch hour. She never comes.

  
  
  
  
  


“Alright, Archeon High! Let’s give it up for your Cheer Squad!”

I roll my eyes as Oliver’s voice yells through the speakers, causing the music to spike up as all of the cheerleaders pour in from the sidelines to start their routine. Amidst all of the jumping and waving, I lock eyes with Evangeline, who rolls her eyes, too.  _ She’s right. Pep rallies  _ are _ dumb. _

Turning my attention to the students seated in the bleachers, I start searching for my brother. I focus on a few people, all wearing a lot of black, but none have the same defeated, slumped shoulders as Maven. I sigh, mentally preparing the speech I’m going to have to give him later, before almost jumping as my phone vibrates in the front pocket of my jeans. I fish the phone out, smiling as I see the text from Mare.

**_Who are you looking for?_ **

I look around for a second, wondering how she sees me before another text lights up the screen.

**_I like your jacket, btw. Varsity’s a good look for you._ **

Furrowing my brow, I type out a response, checking over my shoulder to find where she’s hiding. She’s not anywhere, though, and I start to get confused.

**_r u stalking me now? where r u?_ **

I keep scanning the bleachers, unable to find her. Eventually I give up, trying to keep my focus on the girls as they flip around the gym, but still find myself glancing around, trying to find Mare. After a minute, I quickly unlock my phone to ask again, but stop as I see the symbol indicating that she’s typing.

**_Look up._ **

My first instinct is to check the ceiling, but I decide against it, realizing she means the top row of the stands. Mare stands up so I can see her more clearly, perching herself on top of the seat and waving her arms in mock excitement. I wave back, watching Warren pull on her leg from beside her, probably yelling at her to get down. I look to the other side of her, my jaw dropping a little as the figure beside her gets up, moving to stand on the seat next to her with just as much excitement.

Maven waves at me with a grin, before quickly raising his arms to dab.

I have never felt more disappointed in my brother.

Mare cackles beside him, nudging him with her elbow before they both sit back down.  _ I didn’t realize they were friends. _ I think, before folding my arms. The cheerleaders finish their routine with a pyramid, and I laugh as Elane stumbles a little, obviously trying to make Evangeline catch her. Sonya catches her instead, and I laugh louder as the two argue all the way back to their original spots.

“Let’s hear it for the girls, am I right?” Oliver steps back into the center of the gym, holding the microphone a little too close to his mouth. The gym erupts with more applause, but the sound fades away in my ears as I focus on Mare again. She leans against the back wall, her legs crossed as she holds a conversation with my brother, listing things off on her fingers.

Oliver announces the football team, and I make my way to the center with the rest of my team. They all cheer, bumping into each other and screaming to get the student body hyped for our first game of the season. Oliver walks through us, holding out the microphone for us to speak into it. Each player gives a quick shoutout to their friends, or yells some nonsense about kicking the Lakelanders’ asses at tonight’s game. When the mic gets to me, I can’t bring myself to look away from Mare.

“I’m Cal.”

Hovering for a second before moving on to the next person, Oliver stares at me through narrowed eyes. He has always hated when things don’t go his way. Being student body president, he sort of needs things to be perfect. He definitely didn’t like the idea of the quarterback not saying anything about the game.

Mare’s sister leans over, bumping into Maven as she yells something at Warren from across the group. They all laugh, and I wonder how anyone could get my brother to openly be his goofy self besides Thomas.  _ I’ll be sure to ask Mare how she befriended him. _ I think as we walk back to our spots and Oliver keeps yelling about nothing important. My phone buzzes, and I look down to check it, seeing that Mare has messaged me again.

**_You stare a lot, Cal._ **

I laugh, agreeing.

**_yeah. i do._ **

She types quickly, and I look up at her as she does. She brushes a strand of hair away from her face, placing it behind her ear with ease.

**_Like what you see?_ **

I look back up at her, and she makes eye contact with me, her face flushed a bright shade of red. I wink at her, typing my response.

**_absolutely_ **

Her face lights up as she smiles, and I notice Warren reading over her shoulder. He folds his arms, glaring at me with bright, green eyes. I laugh a little at his jealousy, then decide to send something else.

**_still comin to my party? i really wanna hang with u_ **

She responds with a winking emoji first, then actual words.

**_Depends on if you give me your address or not._ **

I type the number quickly, sending the address within just a few seconds. 

**_starts at 9. wear somethin cute_ **

All she sends is the small emoji heart, and my own heart kind of leaps in my chest. I startle as I hear Warren stand from his spot in the bleachers, stomping down the stairs and walking out of the gym. Mare quickly follows, chasing after him.  _ He must like her. _ I think, folding my arms and drowning out the sound of Evangeline and Ptolemus bickering in my ears. I watch the doors as they close behind Mare, and continue to stare as the pep rally comes to an end.


	7. The House Party: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mare, Kilorn, and Gisa make their way to Cal's party, surprised to find the mansion that awaits them, and even more surprised to find the people waiting inside.
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, this chapter is long
> 
> ALSO SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR THE MEMES  
> The lines about pool are quotes from the musical Be More Chill, which I've been listening to a lot lately.  
> The addition of Lucas Samos and his unnamed girlfriend are for my friend, to which this fic is dedicated (Hi Madison I wuv ya) because she loves Lucas Samos and vines so ;)
> 
> ALSO there's more partying to come.... this is only the beginning ;);););););)
> 
> ok im gonna go to sleep now

I can’t feel anything but nerves as we drive in utter silence to the address Cal gave me. He said it started at nine, but it's well past ten before Shade even lets us leave the house. Though he gave this whole speech about being fashionably late and how  _ nobody _ shows up to a party on time, I can’t help but feel like Cal will be upset that we’re late.

I watch my brother as he drives, his fingers drumming on his knee nonchalantly as he watches the road ahead of him. Even Gisa is completely quiet, which is surprising. She talked for what felt like  _ forever _ as we got ready together, picking out cute outfits and doing each other’s hair and makeup. I turn, looking at my sister in the backseat, watching the other cars drive past us through the window.

Her sparkly, bright pink, strapless top is covered in sequins, glinting in the lights as they shine through the car, accenting her curled red hair. The skirt she chose is almost as tight as her shirt, and I almost don’t even recognize my little sister. My eyes glance to Kilorn, who looks unbelievably plain next to someone as dazzling as Gisa. 

His green t-shirt and faded jeans suit him fine, and I know that he’s angry about going to this party.  _ At least he’s going,  _ I tell myself, turning back to look out of the windshield.  _ He could have said no. _ I look at my own outfit, my highwaisted ripped jeans looking nice with my plain white crop top. I fiddle with the sleeves of the red and black flannel tied around my waist, and wonder when we’re going to get there.

We all startle as Shade gasps audibly, and I can feel Gisa and Kilorn lean forward to see what happened. My own jaw drops in awe as I realize what he’s seeing. He slows the car towards a large, elaborately designed gate, stopping right before getting into the mass of cars parked around it. Kilorn gasps from behind me. “Holy shit.”

The mansion behind the gate is the largest building I have ever laid my eyes on. White pillars and columns line the road from the gate, leading to a large fountain before the large white house, almost entirely covered in windows. Lights flash from inside, and I roll down the window a bit, surprised that I can hear the music from all the way out here. 

“Thanks for driving.” I say to Shade, patting my brother on the leg then turning to the two figures in the backseat. “Let’s go.” They hesitate for a second as I push the door open, stepping out into the cool air before they join me, saying their respective goodbyes to Shade. I promise I’ll text him when we’re ready to go, and then we head through the gate.

We walk down the marble pavement in silence, until Gisa finally opens up and starts chattering. I only laugh at her as we approach the steps, looking around at the kids hanging off of the front porch. One doubles over and vomits into the bushes, and Kilorn yanks on my arm, using his eyes to beg me to turn around and just go home.

I shrug him off, ready to knock on the front doors, but they swing open, allowing for more drunk kids to stumble out. They weave between the three of of us before collapsing in the grass. My nerves slowly turn into excitement as we finally step inside. _This is it,_ I think, looking around the entryway and staring in awe at the glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. _My first party, ever. I should find Cal._

Gisa leads the way, almost bouncing in excitement as people turn to look at us. If they judge us, I never find out, because all of their eyes fall to gisa and her  _ extremely _ short skirt. She revels in the attention, and we finally make our way through the entrance hall. We pass a group of girls, all gossiping and holding solo cups tightly, catching the back end of their conversation.

“So, Tirana Osanos said Atara told Cantos, ‘I’ll only have sex with you if you beat me at pool.’ And then she _lost_ at pool, _deliberately._ ”  
“Wow, that is so awesome.” A pause, and I turn to look at the girls all glaring at the shortest one in their group before she corrects herself. “I mean slutty.”

I roll my eyes, practically having to pull Kilorn to keep up with Gisa, weaving through mostly drunk kids to find the source of the music. The house is massive, and for a second I think we might get lost, but then, we find the living room. I jump as Kilorn bumps into me, whipping my head around to see what his deal is before I spot Ptolemus Samos, practically shoving him out of the way to get past us.

“Stay out of my way, Fish Boy,” He says, before he raises his own red cup, waving at a group of guys standing by a small table. “Yo, Cantos!” Ptolemus smacks his hand on the shoulder of who I assume is Cantos, shaking him a bit. “What’s the story with you and Atara?”

Cantos smirks, smacking Ptolemus’ arm as well. “Oh man, I shouldn’t say.” He drops his voice to a whisper. “But it’s a good thing I rock at pool."

Kilorn tugs on my arm, and I stop, turning to look at him, he opens his mouth to say something, but stops as Ptolemus yells after drinking the last drop of liquor from a red cup. “This bitch empty! YEET!” Then, I pull Kilorn’s arm, making him duck as Ptolemus chucks the empty thing towards us, flying over our heads and hitting the wall with a loud  _ crack _ .

Gisa grabs my arm again then, moving to pull us out of the living room before a body stands in front of the speakers on the fireplace, making every person in the room gasp as he abruptly shuts the music off. I look up a him, wondering who he is as he jumps from the fireplace to the coffee table in the center of the room. Kilorn lowers his voice so only Gisa and I can hear. “That’s Lucas Samos.”

I choke, sputtering for a moment. “You mean there’s more than two of them?”

He nods, and I look at Lucas, then notice the similarities. The slanted black eyes, the wicked grin. If Ptolemus’ yell didn’t scare me, Lucas’ scream makes me jump, bumping into Kilorn.

“I’m JOHN CENA!” 

My eyes widen as he lifts two recorders to his  _ nose, _ of all places, placing one in each nostril and blowing air through them to the tune of the song John Cena uses to wrestle. The three of us stand, completely dumbfounded as the entire room bursts into wild gales of laughter. Lucas drops the recorders on the floor in front of him before returning to the speakers to blast the music again. 

He scans the room, and he steps towards us, his eyes stoic. “Have you seen Maven?”

I shake my head, before jumping again, startled as another voice yells out from the crowd of the room.  _ Good God, all of these people are so loud. _

“Holy fuck!” I turn to see Maven, weaving through bodies and quickly closing the distance between us. I look to Gisa and Kilorn, who also have no idea what he’s doing here. “I didn’t think you would actually do it.” He continues to laugh, fishing into the pockets of his leather jacket to retrieve some cash. “Well earned, man. Thank you so much.”

Lucas pockets the money, waving as he strides towards a girl in the corner. She smiles at him as he approaches, before covering his mouth with her own.

Still confused, I turn to Maven, looking him up and down. His ripped jeans still hold the same amount of chains, and his jacket is still covered in patches and spikes. He wears a hat now, though, a strange beanie that makes his hair curl even more than it already did, hanging over part of his eyes. “You don’t seem like the party type.”

He shrugs, running his tongue of his lip ring. “I’m not.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

Maven laughs, looking from me to Gisa, then to Kilorn. He furrows his brow, as if realizing that my question was serious. “Mare, I live here.”

“What?” My brow furrows as well, looking up at him with even more confusion then I had before. “Like… you-”

“Like, this is my house.” 

Kilorn sputters beside me, rolling his eyes a little. “This is Cal Calore’s party, right?”

Maven nods. “Yeah, but it’s  _ our _ house.” We all still stare at him, still not processing what he’s saying. “Cal is my half-brother.” He speaks slowly, as if we’re children who don’t understand large words. “My last name is  _ also  _ Calore.”

My jaw drops, and I am at a loss for words. All this time that I’ve been trying to flirt with Cal, and his brother sat right next to me, talking to my sister about Glee. “I didn’t even realize.” I laugh a little, trying to make the situation less awkward. “I.. uh.. You guys aren’t similar. Like…  _ at all. _ ”

He nods again, swirling the liquid in his solo cup. “Yeah. Our hair is the same color, but that’s about it. We’re pretty different.” Maven looks around for a second, as if looking for someone. “Hey, do you guys wanna… go outside? It’s really fucking loud in here.”

_ Now that sounds more like Maven. _

The backyard is even more massive than the front lawn, complete with massive hedges and fountains. Maven kicks up dirt as we walk, and Kilorn speaks up for the first time almost all night. “You don’t act like a Calore.”

Maven turns, looking up at Kilorn from over his shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean…” Kilorn searches for the right word, and I know what he’s going to say. “No offense, but, Cal is kind of… an asshole.”

Laughing, Maven halts, turning fully and grinning crookedly.  _ Wow, okay, _ I think, blinking.  _ That smile definitely looks like Cal’s.  _ “Who says I’m not?” He asks, cocking his head to the side. “You don’t know me that well.”

Gisa giggles a little. “Obviously not, we didn’t even know you were rich.” She looks around at the garden around us, squinting her eyes to look at something in the distance. She points, making all of us turn with her. “What is that?”

Maven cackles, doubling over and holding his stomach. “Oh, I forgot about  _ that _ .” He keeps laughing as he chugs the rest of his drink, dropping the empty cup into the grass. “I’ll show you.”

We walk in silence, and I start to wonder exactly  _ how drunk _ Maven already is. He’s usually so quiet and calm. This is almost a new person.  _ He’s just goofy, Mare. _ I think, remembering how he acted at the pep rally.  _ He and Cal are both huge dorks. _

I squint and try to figure out what I’m looking at. The grass in front of us fades in large patches, as if someone burned a word into the greenery and hasn’t let it grow back. I laugh a little as I realize what it says.  _ Bitch _ . “What is this?” I ask turning to Maven.

He keeps laughing waving his arms around awkwardly. “Remember when we met on Monday?” I nod, thinking about Evangeline. “Well, I said that I thought Evangeline stopped bullying and she asked if I was going to set her on fire.” He gestures at the curse word, smiling down at it proudly. “Cal hasn’t had a party like this since last year. Evangeline was bullying some lowerclassmen and I made sure that she knew what she was being.”

He keeps laughing, and I raise an eyebrow. “A bitch?” He laughs harder, smacking his knee. “Why would you do it this way, though? Why not just tell her?”

Maven’s laughter quiets, and he looks me dead in the eyes. Blue orbs meet brown. “Another thing you didn’t know about me. I’m a pyromaniac.” My eyes widen at the seriousness of his tone before he starts laughing again, placing a hand on Kilorn’s shoulder to keep himself from falling over. We stand around the word for what feels like hours, laughing and joking and taking turns telling each other something the others didn’t know about us.

“I want to dye my hair.” I state, running my hands through the grey strands. “Purple, I think.”

Gisa goes next. “I thought I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I kind of like drawing more.” She looks at her feet. “Sketching and stuff.”

I put my hand on her forearm, nudging her softly. “You’re an amazing artist, Gee. Why not do both?”

She beams at me, and we both turn to Kilorn, knowing it’s his turn to admit something we didn’t know. He smiles at me, something I can’t quite place twinkling in his green eyes. “I am in love with Mare Barrow.”

A muscle in my jaw ticks, glancing from him to the others in the group. Gisa nods, as does Maven. I turn back to him, smiling sadly. “You’re breaking the rules Kilorn.” He furrows his brow. “You have to say something that none of us know.”

“Wait… you all knew?” I nod, knowing that the others are doing so as well. “Am I that obvious?” I nod more fervently, not surprised in the slightest. He sighs, thinking of something else. “I don’t like fishing as much as everyone thinks I do.”

I laugh then, nudging him and smiling. He laughs too, trying to hide the red tinting his features and I turn to Maven, waggling my eyebrows. He smirks, waggling his brows right back. “I’m bisexual.”

All of our eyes widen, and Gisa kicks him lightly. “No way.”

“Way.” He turns, gesturing for us to follow him back inside. “You guys need to get drunk, I think.” He looks to Kilorn, smiling up at him. “Especially you, Warren.”

Kilorn nods, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

The light inside of the house burn my eyes a little after standing outside for so long, and my mind drifts to Cal.  _ I wonder if he thinks I didn’t come. Will he be surprised to see me?  _ The music hurts just as much as the lights, and I startle as Maven turns a sharp corner, veering us into the kitchen. He leans against the marble countertop, waving his arm at the thousands of solo cups stacked for our use, and at the massive beer keg perched on the island.

Gisa pours two drinks, and I refuse to let her pour one for herself. “You’re too young.” I say, handing a drink to Kilorn. She pouts for a second before Maven disappears behind the large refrigerator door, filling her cup with something else. 

When it comes to alcohol, I have no idea what to expect. I’ve never had a drink like this before, and I know that Kilorn hasn’t either. We make eye contact briefly before Kilorn takes a large swig from his cup. I pretend to do the same, but don’t. I have no intention of drinking before I am legally able to, but they don’t need to know that.

Maven returns with two cups, and a box of Welch’s Fruit Snacks held between his arms. He hands a cup to Gisa, then sets his own cup on the counter so he can plunge his hands into the box of food. Gisa sips from the cup, then sticks out her tongue. “Apple juice? What am I, twelve?”

He laughs around a mouthful of fruit snacks. “Yo, I’ve been drinking apple juice all night. Don’t hate.” I raise an eyebrow, and he continues. “Drinking is bad for you. I’ve never had alcohol. Ever. Cal loves it, but I’m not about to get arrested, ya feel?”

I nod, watching as a familiar figure passes by. “Hey, I’ll be right back.” I adjust my grip on the cup in my hands, walking out of the kitchen and stepping into the dining room. Cal leans against a wall, running his hands over his face in exasperation. I wait for him to notice me, shifting awkwardly on my feet, causing the leather of my boots to scuff the marble floor.

He looks up, his warm eyes meeting mine, and his face immediately lights up, his perfectly straight teeth shining through a broad grin. “Mare,” He says, pushing off of the wall and striding towards me. “You came.”

“I told you I would.” I smile back, setting my cup down on the long table, gesturing to it with disgust. “I’m not going to drink that, by the way.” 

Cal laughs a little, tilting his head. “You sound like my brother.”

I laugh too, placing my hand on his bicep and flipping my hair over my shoulder. His eyes track the motion, his face flushing a little. “Yeah. He was literally just giving me a speech about how drinking is bad, like, five seconds ago.”

“That’s Mavey for you. Always hating on alcohol even though he smokes like a chimney.” We both chuckle, and Cal’s hand finds mine, pulling it from his arm and rubbing the palm gently with his thumb. “I’m really glad you’re here. This party is pretty lame.”

I blink at him, confused. “It’s not lame, actually. I’ve been having a great time so far. And, so has everyone else, I think.”

He nods. “They’re all drunk, of course they’re having fun.” 

“Are you drunk?” I ask, feeling my own face heat up as he raises my hand, pressing it to his cheek and leaning into it.

“No.” He thinks for a second, shutting his eyes. “Not that much, anyway.”

I laugh again, feeling myself stepping a little closer to him. “Good.” We’re quiet for a moment, before I ask, “Are you and Evangeline, like…”

“No.” He answers quickly, knowing exactly what I mean. “She has a girlfriend, Elane Haven.” I nod, surprised for a second. “She just likes to make people think we’re dating. We’re not. Definitely not.”

I smile up at him, running my free hand over his chest, wondering if I actually  _ did  _ drink anything.  _ What’s gotten into me? _ The hand pressed against his cheek moves upwards, finding his dark hair. His own hands find my waist, pulling my entire body towards him until we’re pressed together.

For a brief moment, I can’t hear the music, or the people. I can only hear Cal’s rapid heartbeat. When he speaks, I can feel it reverberate in his chest. “I like you.” He says bluntly, looking between my eyes and my lips.

I smirk, biting my lower lip slightly. “I like you, too.” I breathe for a second, waiting for him to say something else, but he doesn’t. Instead, he presses his lips to mine, kissing me gently. I lean into him, even more so than I already was, wanting desperately to be closer to him. His skin is hot beneath my fingers, and my own heartbeat thuds louder and louder as the seconds stretch into minutes. 

We both jump as the door beside us creaks open, and my eyes meet a piercing green stare. Kilorn turns on his heel, whipping back into the kitchen and slamming the door behind him. I look up at Cal, who looks down at me, confused. 

I sigh, slumping my shoulders. “Shit.”


	8. The House Party: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry and heartbroken, Kilorn storms away from the party, trying to clear his head. Then, a surprise kiss changes almost everything, and Kilorn finds himself even more confused than he already was.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone here's more partying
> 
> also the beginning is kind of angsty  
> all of the kilorn chapters are kind of angsty, now that I think about it  
> oh well  
> enjoy

Heartbreak is a pain that I have never felt before.

My body feels as though it has been shattered, every bone snapping under tremendous amounts of pressure. Every muscle straining as the bones push against them and puncture through the skin. Every blood vessel bursting in rhythm with each drop of water escaping my tear ducts. The tears leave hot trails down my cheeks, and I let them flow before realizing the eyes on me. 

Gisa stares at me in concern still leaning into Maven, who drops the fruit snacks in his hand as they both move to come comfort me. I push through them, wanting nothing more than to go  _ home. _

Never in my life have I experienced such pain.

When my father died, it hurt. When my mother left, it hurt more. The pain I feel now is an emptiness that nothing could ever fill. I feel hollow, empty. A windowpane that someone has thrown a rock through, shattering the glass and scattering the shards. I am broken into a thousand different pieces, and the tears keep falling until I hear her voice through Maven and Gisa’s concerned questions.

“Kilorn, wait.”

I turn my head quickly, blinking through the salt blurring my vision to see Mare, standing in the doorway and placing her hands on her hips. She takes a step forward, reaching out to grab me but I take another step back, my emotions shifting from sadness to pure rage. Cal Calore stands beside her, and the sight of him makes me want to vomit. I turn again, not wanting to lash out at her as I storm through the massive rooms in the house. 

I blink, breathing in the cool air as I step outside, marching as far away from the house as I can possibly get. Stopping myself, I spot the word burned into the grass.  _ Bitch. _ My thoughts fly back to the house, watching Mare kiss someone else, even though I had  _ just _ told her how I felt. She doesn’t care about me, not even as a friend. If she did, she wouldn’t have kissed one of my  _ sworn enemies. _

“Bitch!” I scream, allowing myself to fall into the patched grass, rolling onto my back and looking up into the night sky. The tears keep falling, making my hair cling to my face and the back of my neck, and I don’t even bother to wipe them away. I try to count the stars to control my anger, but only finding her face etched in the constellations.

She looks down at me, taunting me, forcing me to shut my eyes.  _ Nothing. _ I tell myself.  _ Think of nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. _ The attempt at calm doesn’t work, and my thoughts turn angry as well, twisting my pleads into insults hurled at myself.  _ Nothing. You’re nothing. You’re nothing to her. You don’t mean anything to her. She doesn’t care about you. _

I force my eyes back open, trying to get away from the ocean of negativity. Looking back at the stars, I realize something has shifted. Mare’s face watches me from the sky, her brow furrowed. I blink a few times before raising my hands to wipe some of the tears away, frowning as I see that it’s no longer just a mass of stars.

Mare actually stands over me, the grey ends of her hair framing her face as she looks down at me. “What is your deal?” She asks, folding her arms. When I don’t answer, she huffs, flopping over beside me and laying on top of the word as well, folding her arms over her stomach. “Why am I a bitch, Kilorn?”

Refusing to look at her, I allow my eyes to dart, looking for other stars. “Why did you kiss Cal?”

She laughs, and the sound only hurts me more. Her laugh is beautiful.  _ Stop, you’re mad at her. _ “I like him. I thought we talked about this.”

“We did, but that doesn’t mean you can just kiss him.”

Sighing, she turns, rolling onto her side and peering at me. I pause, feeling her gaze on me and getting nervous. I wipe my eyes again, rubbing my eyelids for a second before I turn to face her, meeting her wide brown eyes. I’m surprised to find that they seem… sympathetic. I was expecting anger. She smiles. “Kilorn, I know how you feel, but…”

I open my mouth to interrupt her, but she places a finger to my lips, making the words die in my throat. “Just because you like me, doesn’t mean I have to like you.” I grow angrier, but she keeps going, speaking slowly. “I love you, but only as a friend.”

Sitting up sharply, my head starts to spin. She sits up too, placing a hand on my arm, but I shrug her off, inching away from her. “I’m hurt.” I say, stumbling over the words but unable to stop them. “That really hurt. I love you, and I don’t understand why you would just hurt me like that.” She says something, but I don’t hear her, raising my voice to talk over her. “Five years. I’ve been trying to kiss you for five fucking years, and you always act like you’re not interested in dating anyone, not even me. You spend five years pretending to not want anyone, but you’re in high school for  _ one week _ and suddenly you’ll just kiss anyone? You’ll just make out with some random dude just to hurt me?

“On top of all of that, you  _ know  _ how I feel about you, Mare. You just said it yourself. I’m very obvious with my feelings and you just completely ignore them. Completely ignore  _ me. _ I can’t believe that you would-”

My words die in my throat as Mare grabs the collar of my shirt, yanking me towards her and pressing her lips to mine. Her eyes shut, but mine stay open, watching her as she kisses me almost desperately. She pulls away, looking up at me with anger and tears in her eyes. Her hands stay fisted on my chest, holding my shirt and not letting go.

I swallow, not really knowing what she wants me to say. Even though I know how I feel. A hot tear trails down my cheek, and suddenly I  _ hate _ myself. All of this build up for absolutely nothing. I realize that all of this has been for nothing, because the moment that I’ve been waiting for all these years… didn’t feel right.

_ She kissed me _ . Mare Barrow kissed me, and I didn’t like it. I have always dreamed of this moment, of holding her in my arms and kissing her deeply, passionately. Kissing her and feeling sparks, feeling fireworks exploding in my chest and my stomach, finally getting what I have always wanted.

It finally happened, and I felt none of that.

“I’m sorry.” Is all I manage to say.

She nods, releasing my collar and falling back into the charred grass. “I’m sorry for not liking you back, Kilorn. I just figured that eventually you would get over it. I got over my thing for you.” My eyes widen, looking down at her. The kiss made me realize things, and looking at Mare now, I see her as she really is.

Not some beautiful, terrifying goddess. Not gorgeous and insanely out of my league. She looks like a person. A normal person. “I used to really like you.” She sighs again, shutting her eyes. “Then I realized that I didn’t, and afterwards I figured out that you liked me back. I thought… I thought you would move on.”

I nod, tempted to lay down beside her and hold in my arms, tell myself that I’m just being crazy, and that I still love every bit of her. “I have now, I think.” She opens her eyes again, and instead of laying down, I stand, wiping the last bit of tears away. “Maven was right.”

“What?” Mare sits up, leaning on her elbows to peer at me through normal brown eyes. In this light, she doesn’t glow the way she used to. My brain doesn’t turn a foggy shade of pink, framing her as the love of my life. She just looks… like Mare.

“I really need to get drunk.”

She smiles, standing with me and leaning towards me. For a split second I think she might kiss me again, but instead she wraps her arms around my neck, standing on her toes to hug me tightly. I hug her back, wiping the water from her own eyes as she pulls away. “Can we still be best friends?” 

I smile down at her, still cursing myself for being stupid. “Of course.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hours pass. My vision stays blurry. Not from sadness, but from the alcohol. I take a long swig from my cup, finishing the liquor and holding it under the tap in the keg to refill it. Mare kicks my stomach softly, smiling at me from her perch on the marble countertop. “Wanna slow down a bit?”

I narrow my eyes at her, blinking slowly. “No.” I say, raising the cup to chug it’s contents quickly.

Something hits the back of my head, and I whip around, my eyes meeting another figure perched on the counter opposite Mare. Maven frowns at me, judging me. “No, seriously. You should slow down.” He reaches into the box of fruit snacks and chucks another at me, hitting me square in the eye. “You’re just gonna get sick.”

Gisa takes the cup from my hands despite my protests, handing it to Mare and moving to grab an empty one. She fills it at the sink, handing me the cup of water with a little bit of anger. “You’ll pass out and die.”

Maven laughs, hitting Gisa with a fruit snack. “Not die, hopefully, but you  _ will _ pass out.”

I glare at them, drinking the water slowly and silently feeling grateful for it. All I’ve wanted was to numb the pain I felt, but the water clears my vision a little. “Thanks,” I say, finishing the drink and setting the empty cup on the counter. “Okay. I have to pee.”

Mare takes the empty cup, tossing it at Maven. “Can you take him to the bathroom?”

He nods, hopping down from the counter, but I wave him off. “I can find it.” They both look at me, concerned, but I shrug. “After the night I’ve had, I need to walk around a little, clear my head.” I turn towards the door, moving to walk back through the dining room. Upon opening the door, another figure passes through, and I hold the door open for him. His red hair almost gives me a headache, but I keep walking, ignoring him and shutting the door behind me.

From the dining room, I hear Maven squeal, the sound causing me to jump and have to steady myself on the large table. “Mare, Gisa. This is my boyfriend, Thomas.” The girls squeal, too, and I stand upright, heading into the next room to find a bathroom, rubbing my temple to try and cool down.

I pass through several rooms, each one seemingly larger than the last, before finding a small door.  _ Bathroom. _ I think, throwing the door open and groaning when I’m met with a dark set of stairs. My drunken state makes me think that there’s probably a bathroom down there somewhere, and I decide to make the trek.

The stairs are...difficult, to say the least. Each one is about a foot steep, and I have to keep my hand braced on the railing to keep myself from falling down the flight.  _ Something smells bleachy. _ I reach the bottom of the stairs, and with severe difficulty, my hands fumble around in the dark, pressing against the wall in search of a light switch.

With a flick of my wrist, the room illuminates, making me shut my eyes in surprise. Once I open them, I’m not met with a basement, as I expected, but a pool.  _ An indoor pool. _ I smirk to myself, completely forgetting what I was even looking for.

My shirt goes first, hitting the ground with a soft thud as I reach down to remove my shoes. I trip over the laces of my sneakers, falling forward and landing on my face. I blink for a second, sitting up and removing my shoes the rest of the way. My jeans clink against the floor tiles, and I stand, taking a few steps back to dive into the water. Then, I think for a second, pausing to do one last thing before I submerge myself.

I drop my boxers on top of my jeans before diving headfirst into the pool.

The water is not cold, which is surprising. I swim through the warm water, letting the chlorine sting my eyes and make my vision even more blurry. I think about Mare as the water rushes past me, part of me wishing she was here with me. Another part of me doesn’t want anything to do with her. The rest of me just wants to forget tonight even happened. Forget that the last five years even happened.

I want to start over with Mare, now that I don’t have feelings for her. Drinking with her a few minutes ago was insanely fun, but I don’t want her to remember me as a crybaby. I want her to like me as a friend, relying on me or thinking I’m brave or smart or handsome.  _ Not handsome. Stop it, brain. _ I curse at myself, swimming to the surface to catch my breath.  _ You don’t like her. Stop feeling things, Kilorn. _

The room is somehow dimmer than before, as if someone turned the lights down. I blame it on the chlorine, treading water for a few seconds before launching into the deep end of the pool. What I really want is to go home, climb in my bed and sleep for the rest of my life. I want to sleep and never wake back up, feeling content to have closure with Mare. I want this nightmare to be over. I want… to find a bathroom.  _ Oh shit. I have to pee. _

The air is colder when I resurface, and I swim towards a ladder on the edge of the pool, inhaling deeply. The last thing I want is to urinate in this pool, becoming even more of a laughing stock than I already am.  _ No. _ I think, swimming faster.  _ The last thing I want is for someone here to find me completely naked. _

For a moment, I guess I forgot I was at a party filled with my tormentors, all waiting for something else to make fun of me for. I start to panic as I think of what Ptolemus Samos would do if he knew I got naked at this party. I can picture it in my head, more dead fish, more toilet bowls, more being stuck in a locker for hours.  _ Days maybe. He’d destroy me. _ My hands find the cold metal of the ladder, and I cling to the bars, looking up to find a pair of feet.

_ Shit,  _ I think, slowly looking up to find the eyes of the interrupter, not wanting to see who will be the person to tell the whole school that I’m even more weird than they already think I am. My eyes widen as they make contact with narrowed, brown eyes. For a second, I hope it’s Mare, but I know that would be too good to be true. The brown eyes blink for a second, and I brace myself for the reputational slaughter.

It’s Cal Calore.


	9. The House Party: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal is very confused, having found Kilorn Warren, of all people, swimming in his pool. Alone, and completely naked.
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes okay here's the thing  
> i wanted to finish the party in three parts BUT  
> i wrote this chapter which was hella long  
> then i cut a bunch of stuff out  
> edited it to put it on here  
> and that's why this chapter took me so long
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO the party is just gonna keep going i think  
> part 4 here we come  
> (i have to change all of the stuff i wrote to Mare's perspective instead so... it might take me awhile also)  
> also this chapter is hecka short  
> also this chapter is hecka gay man  
> hi madison  
> dis 4 u bb

Of all the things I expected to find down here, I definitely didn’t expect Fish Boy. He stares up at me through wide eyes, holding on to the bars of the pool ladder so tightly his knuckles whiten. I blink for a second, trying to understand exactly  _ what _ is going on. What I’m seeing here.

Warren’s face is blotchy and red, his eyes glazed over a bit.  _ He’s drunk. _ I realize, shifting my weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable. We continue to stare at each other, both in utter shock before I realize something else.  _ He’s naked. _ I quickly avert my eyes, turning my attention to the wall across from me. 

“Um,” I begin, but Warren cuts me off.

“Okay, look.” He sighs, splashing around in the water a little. “I know you’re going to ruin my life and call me a freak or whatever, but just… save it, okay? I’ve had a shitty night.”

My eyes stay focused on a spot on the wall, refusing to look down. “What makes you think I’m going to ruin your life?”

“You already have.” I blink, looking down at him then immediately away again.  _ Stop looking, Cal. He’s naked. _  Warren sighs, his hands hitting the bars of the ladder, the sound making me jump a little. “But now, you’re going to make fun of me. Tell Ptolemus Samos how weird I am and… and… ugh.”

I stand there for a few moments, trying to calm myself down. “No, actually.” I feel his gaze on me, making me even more uncomfortable. “I, uh, didn’t know you’d be down here, but I have been looking for you. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“What?”

Clearing my throat, I look down at him in the water, careful to keep my eyes on his face. “You seemed upset. And, Mare said that she hurt you?”

He frowns, folding his arms against the ladder, looking up at me. “Yeah.” He sighs again, shrugging a little. “I saw her kissing you and it… messed me up.” 

I shuffle again, folding my arms. “Why?”

“I love her.”  _ Oh. Right. _ I curse at myself for being stupid, and Warren continues. “I told her that, and to make up for it, she kissed me. I thought… I thought I would be happy. That it would make me feel better. But…”

I nod, trying my best to understand, piecing together what Mare told me a few minutes ago and what Warren is saying now. “She doesn’t like you.”

“Yeah.” Tears well in his eyes, and he blinks them away, his face turning even redder.

“Well,” I shrug, scratching my forearm. “If it makes you feel any better, she doesn’t like me either.” He blinks at me, confused, before I remove my letterman jacket, dropping it onto the floor beside me. “She uh… I asked her what was going on and she said that she didn’t know if she could be with me. That she doesn’t want to hurt you.”

Warren laughs a little, tapping the bars with his finger. “She already has.” I nod again, looking down at him and smiling. He continues, obviously still nervous about someone finding him in here. “Even if you don’t tell Ptolemus, won’t people find out? Isn’t that how this school works? I’ll be dead on Monday. Everyone will know me as the weird guy who got naked for no reason.”

He laughs, more at himself now. “Weird naked Fish Boy who can’t even get one person to like him back.”

I sigh, agrily huffing and folding my arms again. “What, you think everyone will talk about you being naked just because you’re the  _ Fish Boy _ ?”

“Yeah. No one likes me so they’ll just make my life even worse than it already is.”

Groaning, I kick off my sneakers, keeping my eyes on Warren as I grab the hem of my shirt, yanking it up and over my head. My jeans and boxers come off in one clean motion, and the water engulfs me before I even realize what the  _ hell _ I’m doing. I hate water. And swimming, especially, but I reach the surface for air, treading over the waves I cause from my jump with choppy movements. Even this drunk, I won’t let my fear of water kill me.

Warren stares at me with wide eyes, his face so red in embarrassment he almost glows. The pool lights leave an eerie glow on his face, and I smirk, trying to ignore the thought of drowning. “They won’t make fun of  _ me, _ will they?”

He sputters, and I continue. “I’m Cal  _ fucking _ Calore. What are they gonna do to me?”

“Uh…” Warren glances around, as if checking to make sure no one else is here. He swims a little closer to the bars, leaning his back against them. “Tell you that skinny dipping with another dude is really _really_ gay?”

I narrow my eyes. “No one at school is homophobic, Warren. Evangeline Samos runs the place, and she’s a lesbian.” I frown, my tone playful but my face serious. “Also my brother likes dudes. You’re being insensitive.” He stammers, and I swim a bit closer to him, hitting his arm playfully. “I’m messing with you.”

He smiles. Showing even teeth. “Kilorn.”

“What?”  
“You can call me Kilorn. You don’t have to keep calling me by my last name.”

I smile back at him. “Okay.”

Kilorn rubs the back of his neck, the red in his cheeks fading a little as he gets more comfortable. “So… Since we’re on a first name basis now, can I ask you a question?” I nod, and his smile fades into confusion. “Is Cal your real name? Because Cal Calore sounds repetitive, y’know?”

Laughing, I shut my eyes for a second, shaking my head at him. “Cal is short for Calore.” 

He furrows his brow, even more confused. “Why would you willingly go by your last name? Is your real name that bad?”

“My brother’s name is Maven. Do you really think my dad would give me a cool name like ‘Cal’ if he named my brother something so awful?” Kilorn shakes his head, and I sigh. I’ve never really liked my real name, and it doesn’t suit me at all. “My full name is uh… Tiberias Calore the Seventh.”

Kilorn laughs, the sound echoing throughout the pool room before he realizes that I’m not joking. “Wait,  _ Tiberias _ ?” I nod, and he laughs again. “Okay, okay, hang on… Can I be honest with you?”

“We’ve seen each other naked, Kilorn. I think honesty is a given.”

He blushes again, sighing. “Well, good. Because that name sucks. But…” He smirks a little, his green eyes sparkling with dried tears. “So does Cal.”

I raise a hand to my heart, feigning offense. “What? Cal is an amazing name.”

“I’m never going to call you either of those names.”

We both laugh, and for some reason my breathing turns heavy. Kilorn notices, but I shrug him off. “I don’t like water.”

Still smiling, Kilorn raises an eyebrow. “Really? Didn’t think you’d be afraid of anything.” I open my mouth to protest but he responds with a splash of water. “Didn’t you just say you were ‘ _ Cal fucking Calore’ _ ?”

The sudden splash makes me panic, and very suddenly I forget how to tread. Chlorine fills my nose as I sink, thrashing with my eyes completely shut. Kilorn’s hands take me by surprise as he places them on either side of my torso. He pulls me from the deep end of the pool, towards a more shallow area where I can breath.

I stand upright, coughing from the liquid I inhaled and shivering from the sudden burst of cold. The water on this end of the pool only reaches my lower abdomen, and my arms fly from holding onto Kilorn to holding each other, bracing myself against the chill of the cold room compared to the warm water.

When I look to Kilorn, he looks panicked himself, releasing my sides but not stepping away from me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think… I shouldn’t have done that.”

The more I look at him, the hazier my vision gets. I have no idea what comes over me. Maybe it’s the alcohol. Maybe it’s all the chlorine I swallowed. Maybe it’s the thrill of being saved. Or maybe it’s just because Kilorn is standing so close to me.

I kiss him.

On the lips.

Though we’re both surprised by my action, standing awkwardly, eventually, Kilorn moves closer, moving his hands back to my sides. I unfold my arms, placing one hand on the back of his neck and the other on his upper arm. We watch each other, wide-eyed, before Kilorn kisses me again.

_ Okay. I’m way more drunk than I thought I was. _

I have no idea how long we stay in the pool. I lose track of the time entirely by the third or fourth kiss. It could be hours, standing like that, holding each other, or just a few minutes. I have no way of knowing. We eventually pull away, staring at each other, both grinning though we’re still insanely confused and surprised.

Kilorn suggests we get out of the pool.

I say we can’t go back to the party.

He agrees with me, but doesn’t know where else we would go.

I suggest we just… go hang out in my bedroom, away from everyone else.

Kilorn says that it’s the best idea he’s heard all night.


	10. The House Party: Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mare comes face to face with Evangeline Samos yet again. Then, a scream gains everyone's attention.
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for da wait  
> dis chapter has some gay  
> also some violence? idk just my sweet baby mavey being an angry little shit

Maven was right. Drinking is awful.

The amount of alcohol in my system isn’t enough to make me so drunk I pass out or am unaware of my actions, but it’s still enough to make me a bit sick. I lean against the wall in the large living room, glaring up at the chandelier instead of listening to the music.  _ It’s too loud _ . I think, shutting my eyes for a moment. When I open them, I try to be optimistic, hoping I can push off the wall and join the party still raging in front of my eyes.

My eyes land on Gisa, who’s dancing with someone. She laughs loudly, swinging her head back and forth to the tune of the music, and as she turns, I start to envy her. She looks like she's having an amazing time, while I’m over here too lightheaded to even move.  _ I am never drinking again _ . I swear, cursing myself for not taking Maven’s advice.

He dances too, though in a much different way than Gisa does. He’s with his boyfriend, Thomas, whom I met earlier. I compare his moves to Gisa’s, who is very obviously trying to make herself look really hot. She wants to fit in with the crowd of kids dancing around her, trying her best to not look like a freshman. 

Maven, on the other hand, dances as if he and Thomas are the only people in the world. They keep their eyes on each other, smiling and laughing and having a great time. 

I sigh, finally getting off the wall and heading towards another room.  _ I wonder where Cal went. _ I shrug of my curiosity, turning a sharp corner and bumping into something. I blink, trying to steady myself before I realize it’s Evangeline Samos.

Snorting, I laugh, watching her straighten her black dress. “Oh man, I  _ have  _ to stop bumping into you like that.”

She narrows her eyes, glaring at me. “Yes, you do.” She folds her arms, shifting her weight and cocking one hip to the side. “But, this time, Baby Calore is too distracted to protect you from me.”

“I can handle myself.” I shrug, mimicking her actions and crossing my arms. “Besides, Cal won’t let you beat me up or anything, right?”

Scoffing, Evangeline flicks a lock of grey hair over her shoulder, revealing a spiked collar around her throat. “Cal doesn’t control me,  _ Barrow. _ ” She uses my last name as if it’s some kind of insult. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand that.”

I roll my eyes, mocking her. “If he doesn’t control you, why are you at his party?”

She smirks, a wicked grin that I don’t understand. “I have a plan. You see, I-”

“Eve!”

We both turn to see Elane Haven, holding a jug of some kind of liquid. She makes eye contact with me, then quickly moves the jug behind her back, acting as if I didn’t see it. She returns her gaze to Evangeline. “We have to do it now, if we’re still going to.”

“Of course we are.” Evangeline turns back to me, poking my chest with her clawlike black nails. “Stay out of my way, or I’ll kill you slowly, little girl.”

I keep blinking, watching as the two make their way through the massive living space towards the doors leading to the backyard, laughing the entire way. I huff, following in their path before plopping myself down on a seemingly pristine leather couch. My mind wanders to Kilorn, and I start to think about the things he said before he left to-  _ Wait, did he ever come back from the bathroom? _

Placing my hands against the leather on either side of me, I try to stand before Gisa pushes me back to the couch, falling on my right and laying back. “Hey.”

I nod at her, opening my mouth to ask if she’s heard from Kilorn before the movement on my left catches my eye. Thomas sits beside me, his red hair pushed away from his face. He beams at us, lifting his solo cup to drink from it deeply. I watch the ring in his nose as he does, forgetting Kilorn for a second to realize that I really want to get a piercing.

“Hey,” I say, smiling back at him. He finishes the cup, crushing the plastic in his hands and throwing it on the ground in front of us. I startle as Maven falls onto the couch next, settling himself in Thomas’ lap.

“Okay,” He begins, wrapping his arms around Thomas’ neck and stretching his legs out across my own lap, lightly kicking Gisa’s elbow.  _ This is a small couch _ . “We have to do something about Gisa.”

My sister furrows her brow, looking up at him. “What do you mean?”

“She keeps going around and telling people that I like Glee.”

Gisa laughs. “You  _ do  _ like Glee, though.”

Maven huffs, frowning. “Not everyone needs to know that. I told you guys that in confidence. Now the whole school thinks I’m gay.”

I raise an eyebrow, looking at Maven as he stays perched in another man’s lap, clinging onto him tightly. Thomas just frowns, glaring at his boyfriend. “I’m right here, Mave.”

“I know!” Maven sighs, rolling his eyes. “But I’m not gay.”

Smiling, Gisa smacks his foot with her open palm. “You have a boyfriend… And you watch  _ Glee. _ ”

“Didn’t we cover this already? I’m bisexual. God, Gisa, watching Glee doesn’t make you gay.”

“Hey!” I interject, suddenly remembering what I was worried about. “Have you guys heard from Kilorn? He’s been gone for a really long time.

Gisa thinks for a second, scratching her chin. “Where did he go? Did he not come back from the bathroom?” I shake my head, and she gasps a little. “Oh my God, we lost Kilorn.”

Thomas laughs from beside us, nudging my elbow. “Didn’t you say that about Cal, too? Where did he go?”

“To find Kilorn.” I wrinkle my nose, confusing myself now. “Wait, Cal hasn’t come back either?”

Gisa and Thomas shakes their heads, and I start to panic, thinking if they got hurt or passed out somewhere.  _ What if they’re dead? _ I rub my temple for a few seconds, before trying to stand. The legs in my lap keep me pinned to the couch, and I finally hear Maven’s manic laughter. “What’s so funny?”

He snorts, smiling wide. “They’re probably making out with each other.”

Maven keeps laughing, but the rest of us don’t share the same thoughts as him. “What?” I ask, my brow furrowing.

Shrugging, he tries to stifle his laughter, the cackles fading into soft giggles in between words. “Well, if at some point during this party,  _ I  _ disappear, and none of you can find me, I know what I would be doing. Cal and I are related, so he probably has the same ideas.”

I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out what he’s playing at. “And what would you be doing, then?”

“Bangin’ a cute boy.”

He boops Thomas on the nose, who laughs loudly, grabbing Maven’s face to kiss him deeply. My cheeks flare, and I turn to Gisa before either of them can see my blush. Though, I doubt either would notice, too invested in each other’s tonsils to care about me. She laughs, then, both at Maven’s joke and at me, for being so awkward.

She sighs, turning to look at me. “They’re probably both hiding from you, Mare.”

“What? Why would they hide from me?”

Shrugging, Gisa places her hands behind her head, shutting her eyes and melting into the couch. “You basically broke up with both of them.”

My mouth hangs open, and I smack her upper arm. “I did not.”

“Telling Kilorn you don’t like him, and telling Cal that you can’t like him anymore, because of Kilorn?” She sighs again, shaking her head. “You’re a player.”

“I am not!”

“Yes you are. Only players can have two boys fight over her, Mare.” Gisa’s tone is playful, and I can’t help but laugh a little as well.

A loud scream catches us all off guard, and we all jump a little before turning to look at the rest of the room. The lighting has changed, and the whole room glows a faint, crackling red, growing brighter and brighter each passing second. Though the music keeps going, the dancing has stopped, and I inhale deeply, smelling exactly what I feared.

_ Smoke. _

Looking to the windows, I realize the light is coming from outside. Maven goes first, practically leaping off the couch and rushing to the back doors. He doesn’t have to push through people, they all part to make room for him. The three of us follow, just as quickly but with more fear. The smoke is much more prominent when we reach the outdoors, and I finally see something strange in the far part of the yard.

The grass is on fire. Three figures stand just outside of the back door, and I find myself even more surprised as I realize that they’re laughing. Evangeline, Elane, and Sonya all stand huddled together, cackling wickedly and pointing out at the flames. Evangeline chimes first, and I immediately feel more confused.

“Payback, Little Prince.”

Maven whips around, his neck cracking loudly as he turns to Evangeline, his face angry. “What did you do?” She continues to laugh, and Maven grows angrier, closing the distance between them and grabbing her shoulders. “Evangeline, what did you write?”

“‘Maven Calore is a fucking’.”

“Wh-what?” I hear the word escape my mouth, and Gisa and Thomas seem just as confused as I am. Maven is the only one who seems to understand, sprinting towards the flames. Thomas yells after him, and Gisa grabs his arm, keeping Thomas from running to the fire as well.

Maven’s scream is a terrifying sound.

I don’t think I have ever heard anyone this angry.

He’s running towards the three girls within a few seconds, the scream still escaping his lips as other party-goers file out into the yard. “You…” Maven begins, breathing heavily as he grabs Evangeline’s shoulders again. “How could you do that?” She just laughs, making him raise his voice even more. “What happens when my parents see that, Evangeline?”

She scoffs, shrugging him off and taking a step backwards. “What happened when the entire student body thought I was a bitch  _ because of you _ ?”

“You  _ are _ a bitch. This is different!” Thomas reaches out to Maven, but I grab his other arm, helping Gisa hold him back.

Evangeline laughs again as Elane and Sonya take a few steps back.  _ They didn’t expect him to be angry. _ “Come on, this is funny.”

“No it isn’t.”

“What, so you telling people that I’m a bitch is funny, but the second I do the same to you, I’m horrible?”

“You’re always horrible. This is a new level of  _ evil _ that I never knew a person could achieve.  _ Not even you. _ ”

Any sort of chatter amongst the crowd completely silences as Evangeline’s open palm makes contact with Maven’s cheek.

His entire head turns with the force of her slap, and I feel my confusion morph into genuine fear as Maven turns to face her again with agonizing slowness. Gisa and I release Thomas, who immediately runs to them and grabs Maven’s arms, yanking him away from the grinning girl in front of him.

“Mave.” Thomas calls his name, using his hands to  _ make _ Maven look up at him. “Maven.  _ Baby _ . She’s not worth it. It’s okay.”

Maven fumes, and if this were some fantasy dystopian world, I would expect smoke to rise off of him, or for him to burst into flames. He points towards the house, and if looks could kill, I know that Evangeline would be dead a thousand times by now. “Get out.”

She scoffs, before realizing he’s not joking. Her grin turns into a straight line, and she turns on her heel, pushing through the crowd of people and marching back through the house. Maven doesn’t turn his attention away from the spot where she stood, and his pointed finger stays in place. “All of you.”

No one needs to be told twice, and with the sound of screeching cars and slamming doors, in just a few minutes, the house is emptied. The party is over.

Maven blinks, leaning his face against Thomas’ hands, allowing the other boy to cradle him for a moment.

I turn to Gisa, looking between the couple beside us and the fire still roaring in the distance. She nods, and we set off to find a hose, determined to put out the fire while Thomas consoles Maven.

Once the flames have cleared, I finally realize what happened. Evangeline used gasoline to write above where Maven wrote the year before, turning his joke around on him. Despite the lack of fire, the grass stays charred, and we can finally see the message more clearly.

I blink down at the phrase, shaking my head in disbelief.

The letters are massive, but it’s clear what she did. What she wrote.

_ Maven Calore is a fucking bitch _ .


	11. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilorn wakes up the morning after the party, finding himself in a place he's never been before.
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeez louise sorry for the wait y'all  
> I've been binge reading the red rising trilogy by pierce brown and haven't had time to write anything good  
> (also if you guys need book recommendations for after war storm definitely read this series is good af)  
> sorry for the tension in this chapter  
> i'm so tired  
> goodnight

My head pounds. A migraine claws at the sides of my skull as I slowly wake, wondering why the hell I’m in so much pain. I blink, squinting in the sunlight as I try to realize where I am. As I sit, I adjust to the light and the pounding in my brain and observe the room. It’s large and brightly colored, walls covered in posters and floors covered in clutter.

Books, clothes, and other various things lie discarded on the hardwood floor, and I realize that this is someone’s bedroom. Fear pools in my stomach as I turn to my left, looking down in the bed. I exhale as I find no one beside me.  _ Thank God. _ I shift the blankets around, untangling myself from the sheets and trying my best to stand.

Of course, I stumble, holding onto the large bed’s post to keep myself from smacking into the floorboards. My heart starts to beat faster as I realize that I must be hungover.  _ I’ve never been hungover before, _ I think, trying my best to stand upright.  _ This sucks. _ The floor is cold beneath my bare feet, and I briefly wonder where I left my shoes before noticing that it’s not my shoes I should be worried about.

I am naked.

The night before comes rushing back into my brain in harsh waves. Seeing Mare kiss Cal.  _ Where is Mare? _ Screaming at her. Crying for her. Kissing her.  _ Where am I? Whose room is this?  _ Drinking too much. Stumbling down some stairs.  _ Cal’s clothes are on the floor. This is Cal’s room.  _  Water. Swimming. Someone else. Someone…

I kissed Cal Calore.

Suddenly my nudity makes sense.

Blinking for a second, I stare at the ceiling, urging myself not to do it, but my body has already decided. I’m not sure if it’s from the shock or the liquor.

Vomit splatters my feet.

_ Awesome. _

I stare at the mess, not knowing what to do and ignoring the creak of a door being opened. “Hey,” I don’t have to look up to see who it is. “You threw up on my books.”

My back hits warm blankets as I allow myself to fall backwards, not wanting to face the weight of my current situation. The ceiling fan above the bed swirls slowly, and I think of a boat propellor.  _ This is a dream _ . I think, blinking profusely.  _ No, it is a nightmare. I’ll wake up soon. I fell asleep on the boat again. I’ll wake up. Wake up, Kilorn. _

The bed dips beside me, and I finally turn my head, watching as Cal Calore sits on the bed beside me.

His torso is bare, and I look from his face to his abdominal muscles before turning away again. He’s wearing a towel around his hips. “Are you okay?” He asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I smack the hand away, like an angry child. “I’m fine.”

“No you’re not. All of your intestines are all over my floor.”

I sit upright, checking to make sure my organs are still in my body as Cal laughs from beside me. I glare at him. “Kidding, Kilorn. I’m kidding. You’re fine.”

Groaning, I rub my eyes. “Sorry if this is dumb, but…” I sigh, not wanting to look at him. “Did we…”

“Yeah.” 

The rest of the night hits my memory, flashing behind my eyelids as I remember what happened after the swimming. Grabbing our clothes, wrapping in towels, sneaking upstairs. Cal’s bed. More kissing, more fire, more…

I finally look at him, surprised to find him frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“Is that not…” Cal looks a bit hurt, and I furrow my brow. “ _ Was _ that not… like…” He struggles with the words, sighing a bit. “Did you not want to?”

My eyes widen. “God, no.” His eyes turn sad. “NO! I don’t mean no, like no I didn’t, I meant. Ugh. I did want to, Cal. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s not something I would usually do.”

“Me either.” He shrugs, his sadness fading after I reassured him. “I don’t usually…  _ like men. _ ”

“Me either.” I smirk at him, nudging his shoulder. “Sorry. I’m not good at this sort of thing? Technically my first kiss was last night. Mare, not you. So I guess,” I think for a second, realizing that since I’ve spent so long pining after Mare, I never had any way of knowing if I  _ only _ liked women. “Yeah. I guess I could like men. I wouldn’t really know before now.”

“Do you?” Cal asks, tilting his head. “Like, do you like me, at least?”

“Yes.” My answer is immediate, surprising both of us. “Yes, Cal. I like you a lot.”

He grins, most likely thinking of last night. “I like you too.  _ A lot. _ ”

“What do we do now?” 

I wait for a response that doesn’t come. Cal stares at the vomit on the floor. “Cal?” I put a hand on his shoulder.

This time, his kiss doesn’t surprise me.  _ Holy shit. _ I think, letting my hands find his.  _ This is amazing. Cal is amazing. I never felt this way with Mare. Maybe this is okay. Maybe this will all be okay. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After showering and getting dressed, and helping Cal clean up all the vomit, we decide to go assess the damage from the party. He says he hopes that everyone has left. “Sometimes people just crash here. Like you did.”

I think for a second, running my hand along the wall as we walk down the hallway outside of his bedroom. “I think Mare and Gisa probably stayed. I don’t know if they would have left without me.”

Cal nods, and we close the distance between us and a small door. “Well, then we’re gonna have a couple people to help clean up. That’s the rule. You sleep here, you clean the morning after.”

“Makes sense.” 

He smiles, putting his hand on the doorknob. “Let me wake Mavey up. He’s cranky in the mornings, but needs to help us deal with the mess.”

The door opens slowly, and I stay behind Cal, not wanting to anger Maven. I got to know him a bit in the past week. I still can’t believe I’ve had classes with him since the ninth grade, and didn’t get to know him until Mare introduced us. He’s a cool dude. Then again, these past three years I thought Cal was an arrogant asshole.  _ Look where we are now. _

_ “Get out.” _

Cal slams the door quickly, turning on his heel and stomping down the hallway. I jog to catch up. “What’s wrong? Cal?”

He practically bounds down the stairs, knocking into a small table at the bottom and knocking over a vase. He stares down at the shattered remains for a minute before I catch up to him. “Cal?”

“Thomas was in there.”  
“So?”

“They were doing it.”

He rubs his eyes vigorously, and I laugh a little bit. “Good for them?”

Cal glares at me through narrowed eyes, his face a bright shade of red. “How would you feel if you walking in on  _ your _ brother doing… that?”

I shrug. “I don’t have any siblings.”  
“Your parents, then.”

“They’re dead.”

His eyebrows droop, and he opens his mouth to say something else before footsteps gain both of our attentions. Maven stomps angrily down the stairs in his boxers, his face flushed and his hair messy. Cal refuses to look at him, turning his gaze to the ceiling.

“Cal.” Maven breathes, panting a little. His eyes dart to me, and I shrug again. “Cal.” He sighs, trying to catch his breath. I hear a creak in the hallway, and look up the stairs, finding the redhead I passed in the hall last night, peering over the banister nervously.

Maven folds his arms. “ _ Tiberias. _ ”

The name gets Cal’s attention, and he continues to glare. Thankfully, this time it’s directed at his brother. He sighs. “It’s okay, Maven. You don’t have to-”

“Kitchen.”

It’s not a question. Maven turns and stomps off into the kitchen, letting the door slam behind him. Cal sighs, patting my shoulder before following after him. I try to ignore the harsh whispers that follow, shrugging up at Thomas awkwardly. He disappears back into the hallway, and I decide to go find Mare.

Luckily, she’s on the couch in the living room, and I find her quickly. The amount of cups and garbage all over the place overwhelm me a bit, and I gasp a little as I see the coffee table is completely shattered. Mare turns to look at me, signaling for me to be quiet. I navigate my way through the sea of trash, then realize that Gisa is still asleep, her arms curled around a couch pillow.

“What happened?” She asks. “I heard a crash.”

I nod to the kitchen, staying silent so she can hear as Cal and Maven’s whispers turn to shouts of anger. She furrows her brow. “Cal walked in on Maven and Thomas having sex.”

She winces, frowning a bit. “Yikes. That’s rough.” She laughs a little. “I walked in on Shade and Farley once. It’s gross stuff, man.”

“I bet.” I slide onto the couch beside her, and she pats my head, running her hands through my damp hair. “You showered?” 

I shrug. “I was gross.”  
“Gross?”

“Yeah.”

Mare frowns again, confused. “What made you gross?”  
For a second, I want to tell her about what happened with Cal, but decide against it. _I’ll tell her eventually, just not now. What if she still likes him?_ I blink. _Oh. What if he still likes her?_ I shake the thoughts away. “I was drunk. Woke up in my puke.”

“Ew.” She laughs again, shoving my shoulder. “Drinking sucks.”

“Yeah, let’s never do it again.”

She nods, and we sit in silence for a while, listening to the bickering. 

_ “All you ever do is quote vines.” _

_ “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” _

_“It’s annoying. Another thing I’m adding to the list.”_ __  
_“What list?”_ __  
_“Reasons why my little brother is the worst brother on the entire planet.”_  
A pause.  
__“What else is on the list?”

_ “I don’t know, smoking too much, getting angry too quickly, being a pyromaniac?” _

_ “Oh my God, that was one time.” _

Mare laughs a little, mumbling that she has to show me something in a few minutes.

_ “I could make a list.” _

_ “A list of what?” _

_ “Why you’re… stupid.” _

_ “Stupid? That’s not an insult, Mavey.” _

_“Stop calling me that.”_ _  
_ _“Look, okay. That’s it.”_

We jump as the door swings open, and Cal storms into the living room. He folds his arms, anger lacing his features. “Settle this for us.”

Mare shakes her head. “No. Not getting involved.”

Maven stalks in soon after, scratching the back of his neck. Cal sighs. “I meant Kilorn.”

Confused, Mare turns to me, looking between the two of us. Her eyebrows raise as she realizes that Cal’s hair is just as wet as mine.  _ Shit. So much for not telling her. _ I turn to Cal, hoping she’ll drop it. “Settle what?”

“Maven shouldn’t be doing anything like…  _ that _ if he knows that there are other people in the house.” Maven folds his arms and I purse my lips, silently reminding Cal that he literally just did the same thing. “Well, okay, maybe not, ugh. I mean, at least  _ lock _ your door, Mavey.”

“You should have knocked, Cal.”

Gisa stirs, finally waking up and sitting upright, confused.

“I’m going to disown you.”

“What?” Maven raises an eyebrow.

“You heard me. You’re not my brother anymore.”

“Oh, fuck you.” Maven shifts from foot to foot. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“You’re the worst. I hate you.”

I look to Mare, then back at Cal. “That escalated quickly.”

Mare shrugs. “Brothers. Mine do this all the time.”

“Cal,” I start, standing and trying to intervene. “You know, maybe this is all just too much? Like, it’s okay. None of this is really a big deal, right?”

Cal smiles at me, his eyes softening. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right.” He turns to Maven. “Sorry.” He says, unapologetically. Then, to everyone else. “Okay I have an announcement to make.” We all look around, confused, and I notice that Thomas lingers in the corner of the room, wearing Maven’s shirt from last night. Sighing, Cal looks to me again. “I guess… this will be shocking to everyone… But I think I’m bisexual.” No one says anything. “No, I’m serious. I’m bisexual.” He waits for us to do something. Some sort of gasp that never comes.

Eventually Maven laughs a little. “Bitch, me too, the fuck?”

Cal frowns. “You’re quoting vines again.”

“Sorry.” He keeps laughing, but Cal just turns to Mare.

“You and Kilorn.” He says, gesturing to me. “You were never a thing?”

“No.” We say in unison.

“Good.” Cal smiles at me, then notices that everyone is in the room. “Okay, game plan. Let’s get this place clean before Dad and Elara come back tonight.” He looks around, frowning at all of the shattered things. “Okay…” He addresses each of us in turn, listing off things we have to do.

Maven should put pants on.

Gisa should start picking up some of the trash around the kitchen.

Thomas should dispose of the keg.

Mare should start on the backyard.

I should stay and help Cal with the living room. I smile, knowing that he just wants to be near me. Mare notices this, and raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, um, Evangeline set the backyard on fire.”

“What?” Cal and I are dumbfounded.

Maven groans. “Ugh she’s such a bitch.”

Mare laughs a little. “I can try to cover it up?” She suggests, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe burn the rest of the grass so it doesn’t say anything mean anymore?”

Nodding, Maven turns to the stairs. “I’ll put on pants and we can just burn all the grass.” He pauses to kiss Thomas, then ascends the stairs, grumbling the whole way.

Gisa and Thomas walk to the kitchen, and I hear Gisa ask him what the hell is going on.

Mare looks at me for a while, her eyes darting between me and Cal accusingly. I shrug. She turns, pulling on the glass door and sliding it open then stepping outside. Cal puts a hand on my shoulder, nodding to the shattered coffee table. Sighing, we both set to work, grabbing some cleaning supplies and attempting to make the place decent.


	12. The Memelords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal suffers through an awkward breakfast with his family, then opens up to Maven about his secret relationship.
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS TO MAKE UP FOR THE WEEK I DIDN'T WRITE ANYTHING  
> SORRY IN ADVICE FOR THE MEMES

Breakfast with my family is painfully quiet. Our dining table, though massive and fit for banquets and brunches, only has four chairs seated at the far end away from the kitchen. As usual, the plates of food reach to almost halfway down the table. I think briefly of all of the food that goes to waste. It’s like they intentionally make too much food just to make me feel bad for not eating it all.

I spread butter on my toast, watching across from me as Maven shoves a piece of bacon into his mouth. His right elbow rests on the table, and he scrolls through god knows what on his iphone. I don’t have to look to my right, at my father, to know that he’s seething. He  _ hates _ when Mavey does shit like this.

Next to Maven, his mother glares at him, daintily slicing at her omelette before reaching over and yanking the earbud out of Maven’s ear. He turns to her, but one raised eyebrow makes him sit upright, laying his phone face down on the table. We make eye contact before he moves to grab more bacon.

I feel Elara’s gaze shift to me, and I let my eyes fall to my plate. Nibbling on the toast, my mind wanders.  _ I wish Kilorn were here. _ I smile to myself, imagining eating breakfast with him and holding his hand discreetly under the table. I saw him yesterday, but I didn’t sleep much leading to this breakfast.

It’s weird to think that I already miss him. Most likely, my burst of insomnia was caused by the lack of warmth. Sleeping next to Kilorn was really… amazing. My smile fades, knowing that my father would never really approve of  Kilorn. My fantasy of holding his hand and being with him all the time can’t possibly come true. Not here, at least.

My dad is kind of the reason Maven has to sneak around with Thomas. Dad knows they’re friends and all, but if they ever found out about their relationship he’d lose it. I turn back to Elara, who licks her thumb and wipes something off of Maven’s cheek.

He told me a while ago that she knows. That she doesn’t think Thomas is a  _ great _ influence on Maven, since he’s the reason for my brother’s lip ring, but that as long as Maven’s happy, she is too. I wonder how someone so cold and mean as my stepmother could be okay with Maven dating a man, but someone like my father would never be.

I furrow my brow as Maven kicks my foot under the table, forcing me to bite a little too hard on my toast. My teeth knock together, gaining the attention of my father. He narrows his eyes at me. “You alright there?”

I nod. “Yes. Just hungry, I think.” I kick Maven back, harder than his own kick, smiling to show my innocence. 

“Shit,” Maven curses under his breath, then groans as Elara smacks the side of his head.

We both straighten, and he mumbles a short apology for his language. The silence ticks on, and I stare at my brother to make him look up at me and express my  _ own _ apology, but he doesn’t. I stand. “We’d better get going. I don’t want to be late for school.”

My father’s brow furrows, but he waves us off. “Don’t take the bike today.”

“What?” I ask, confused. “Why not?”

He shrugs, biting into a sausage. He speaks around the food, and Elara scoffs in disgust. “Not safe, take the car.”

“Dad, we always take the bike.”

“Have you found the helmets yet?”  
I frown, silently cursing whoever the _hell_ stole my helmets during the party. “Well, no, but I’m a safe driver, and-”

“Car.”

Sighing and knowing it’s better not to argue, I grab my backpack from the floor. Maven does the same, standing and shoving his phone and earbuds in his pocket. Elara gives him a pointed look, and he leans to kiss her on the cheek before we head out. That’s a weird thing I don’t understand about them. They don’t have to speak to talk to each other, like they can say a thousand words with just a quick glance. Thank god she’s not my mother. That would scare me.

We pause in the front hallway, so I can grab my keys and Maven can grab his signature jacket. The air beyond the front doors is hot, and I don’t know why he chooses to wear so much leather in this damned heat. We walk in silence, side by side as we loop around the front garden to the garage.

I hate taking the car, and I know Maven does, too. It’s too nice. With the bike, we can at least pretend not to be as snobby as people think we are. Of the six cars my dad owns, one is for us, and it’s shiny and black and… riding in it makes us look rich. Though, we  _ are  _ rich, we just hate reminding people.

The car stars with a muted rev, and I turn to back out of the driveway. Maven waits until we’re a good distance away from the house before rolling down the window and reaching into his bag to dig for cigarettes.

Sighing, I keep my eyes on the road. “Can I… talk to you about something?”

Maven holds the cancer stick in between his teeth.  “You’re not going to give me a lecture about tobacco again are you? ‘Cause I’m not afraid to punch you in the mouth.”

I laugh, shaking my head and waiting for him to light it before I continue. “How does Elara really feel about Thomas?” 

The smell of the smoke makes me wrinkle my nose, and I roll down my own window to get some breathable air. “Uh…” He thinks for a second. “I don’t think she likes him, yet, because she doesn’t know him. She’s only talked to him like two times, and Dad was there, then, so she couldn’t say anything about us. I think that if she met him, like, just the three of us, she’d like him enough.”

Nodding, I try to figure out how to word this. “Do you think… you would ever tell Dad?”

“Absolutely not.” I flinch at the suddenness in his response. He’s thought about this before. “Maybe when I move out, so there’s enough distance between us that he won’t kill me.” I can feel his eyes on me, but I keep watching the road through the windshield. “Is that about you being bisexual?”

I don’t say anything, not wanting to talk about Kilorn out loud yet. Not until I ask him on a real date. Maven sighs, taking a long drag before continuing. “I know about Kilorn.”

“Shit.”

He laughs, patting my arm. “You gave me a whole speech about not fucking in the house, but I know for a fact that’s where you disappeared to Saturday night. Hypocrite.”

I groan, running my hand over my face. “Were we that obvious?”  
“No, I’m just smart.” I raise an eyebrow as he laughs a little. “I made jokes about you going off to make out with Kilorn, because the girls were wondering where you both went.” _The girls. Mare and Gisa? Are they all that close already?_ “But they were both downstairs after I kicked everyone out. I was, like, hella angry so I dragged Thomas upstairs to, uh, _relieve_ some of my anger, if you catch my drift.

“But, yeah. I don’t know if you know this, but being drunk doesn’t exactly make you... _ quiet. _ ” My face grows hot at the thought of other people hearing Kilorn and I, especially  _ my little brother. I’m gonna be sick. _ “Mare and Gee weren’t up there, though, so I don’t think they know yet.”

I finally turn to look at him, surprised to find him smiling at me. “Are you going to tell anyone?”

He shakes his head. “Not my secret to share, Cal.” He claps his hand on my shoulder, shaking me a little and exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Welcome to the closet, brother. It’s really nice in here.”

_ The closet. Holy shit, am I closeted?  _ That’s a question I never thought I’d ask myself.. Maven laughs, and I turn to him. “What?”

“Do you think Kilorn listens to country music?”

I blink, confused. “What?”

Finally, I realize we’ve approached the school, and I find a place to park. I pull the parking brake up before Maven continues. “Like, he likes to fish, right?” I nod. “Do you think he likes country music?”

“I-I don’t know. Maybe?”

He laughs again, flicking the butt of his cigarette out of the window. “Wanna hear my impression of you?” I furrow my brow. “ _ Country booooooyyyy. I loooooooooove youuuuuuuu. _ ”

He sticks his tongue out, and I punch his shoulder. “Stop quoting vines at me, you piece of shit.”

Maven keeps wheezing, holding his shoulder in pain. “ _ Mother trucker, dude. _ ” I shove the car door open, trying to stay angry and keep myself from laughing with him. “ _ That hurt like a buttcheek on a stick. _ ”

I step out of the car, slamming the door and folding my arms before he climbs out, too, leaning against the car and struggling to put his backpack on through his laughter. “How many vines are there with country accents? When will you run out of material?”

He raises his hands as he rounds the car to stand next to me, covering both of his eyes and bumping into me. “ _ Oh, sorry, didn’t see ya there. I was too busy mmmmmblockinoutthahaters _ ”

I groan, turning to walk into the school. I keep my ears covered to drown out my brother’s obnoxious, emo ass, and I smile a little as I see Kilorn, Mare and Gisa standing by the entrance. We climb the stairs, and I keep my hands firmly planted as Maven pulls on my arms, trying to get me to listen to him.

The three waiting for us stare, confused, before I finally uncover my ears, angry to find that Maven is  _ still singing. _ I have to raise my voice to speak over him. “I don’t even know what he’s doing.” 

“WHAT!?” Gisa laughs, nudging Mare with her elbow. “It’s the yodeling walmart kid.” 

“The what?” I ask, my face turning red as I realize all of the other students are staring at us. “Maven, stop.”

Mare steps forward, pulling Maven so they both stand in front of me before she joins him, yodeling in front of almost all of the juniors in school.  _ “She’ll do me, she’ll do you, she’s got that kinda lovin’ _ ” I laugh a bit at Mare’s very awful southern accent, turning and walking through the entrance. 

“ _ Lord I love to hear her when she calls me sweet day-ee-AA-aaa-ddd-yyy. _ ”

Gisa joins them on the finish, as does Kilorn. I want to kill them all.

“ _ Such a beautiful dreeeeeeeeeeaaammm _ .”

They all cackle wildly, leaning into each other for support and gasping for breath. Kilorn nods his head to the hall, still chuckling and we walk off without them, letting them drown in laughter like the memelords they are.

“Hey.” Kilorn smiles at me, and I have to look at my feet to keep myself from kissing him in front of everyone.

“Hey,” I say, scuffing the floor with my shoe. I lower my voice a little. “Do you want to… have dinner sometime?” He stops walking with me, and I turn quickly to meet his wide-eyed gaze. My anxiety gets the better of me, and I quickly apologize, thinking I’ve misread his feelings for me.

“No, no!” Kilorn folds his arms, awkwardly avoiding touching me directly. “I mean, yes. Yes, let’s have dinner.”

I smile, suddenly not caring who sees us. “Friday night?”

“Do we have to wait until Friday?”

My heart skips a beat. “I have practice today and Wednesday. Chess club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“Damn.” Kilorn bites his lip, and my stomach flops around a little.  _ He’s so pretty. _ “Are you doing anything after practice tonight?” 

I shake my head. “But it’s football, so it won’t end until like seven or eight.”

He smiles. “Wanna go somewhere after? I can stay and watch you practice.”

Thinking for a second, I bite my own lip, knowing that Maven would have no other ride home. I glance at him down the hallway, quoting some other vine and making Mare and Gisa keep laughing.  _ I’ll talk to him later, _ I think.  _ He knows about me and Kilorn, now, so he’ll understand. Maybe he can chill with Thomas for a while. _

“Yes.” I say. “Absolutely.”

“Okay.” Kilorn nudges my arm.  _ God, I wanna kiss him. _ “I’ll see you then?”

I nod, and he walks backwards a little to grab Mare by the collar of her shirt and drag her down the hallway. Maven follows them after saying goodbye to Gisa. I keep my eyes on them as they walk down the corridor, happy that they’re all friends before turning on my heel and heading to my own class.


	13. The Barrows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kilorn bails on them, Gisa and Mare invite Maven to their house to watch Gossip Girl. Mare's brothers start trouble.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if there's one thing I love, its family banter  
> alternate titles for this chapter:  
> HEY LETS PICK ON MARE  
> bisexuality is a real thing???????????  
> how uncomfortable can we make poor mare  
> HE'S HERE TO FUCK LET'S KILL HIM

Gisa makes me take my jacket off in the heat, giving me a lecture about how leather and the sun don’t mix well. Though I protest, I’m actually kind of glad she did. If I’m going to sacrifice looking cool for the heat, at least I’ll be able to blame my dopey little sister.

My mind races with thoughts, and I try my best to ignore them for the majority of the walk home. Kilorn said he had something to do, despite his promise to help me with my math homework. Luckily, Maven didn’t want to wait around for Cal to get out of football practice, so Gisa and I invited him to our house to hang out.

He walks beside Gisa in front of me, ignoring her instructions to remove his own jacket and just wiping the sweat from his forehead. She keeps telling him that since he’s coming over, he’s going to watch Gossip Girl with us, but I know I’m going to force him to do my math homework. He does Cal’s, why not mine?

I tighten my grip on the straps of my backpack, my mind flying to the main thought pulsing in my brain. The one question I don’t know how or  _ who _ to ask.  _ What’s going on between Cal and Kilorn? _ I noticed their wet hair at the party, and the way they look at each other now. Kilorn hates Cal, and Cal hates Kilorn. What changed at the party?

I kissed him, or, I guess I kissed both of them. But I still don’t understand why that would make either of them stop hating each other. And I definitely don’t understand why my immediate thought is that they’re dating.

Kilorn is straight. Cal said he likes me. So, what the hell?

If we were in some YA novel, I’d be the heroin, right? And what YA author would write that the main love triangle ends in a way that isn’t expected? If this were fiction, I’d be like Bella Swan. And Stephenie Meyer wouldn’t want Bella to end up alone, right?

Oh God, what would the Twilight fandom do if Edward… ended up with Jacob?

Or if Peeta gave up on Katniss and ended up with Gale?  
_What if Kilorn ends up with Cal?_

The thought makes me shudder a little. I have to dismiss it quickly as we finally approach our house in all it’s tiny, rickety glory. It’s a small, wooden thing, and I suddenly feel very self-conscious. Maven’s house is  _ huge _ . What if he hates it here?

To my surprise, Maven throws his arm around my shoulder, leaning against me. He’s way sweatier than I thought he was, and I try to shrink away from him. “Dude, Gee’s right. Too much leather.”

He smiles down at me, his blue eyes glinting. “I look cool, Mare. No one’s making me ditch the jacket.” He gestures at it with his free arm, then does the same to the house. “It’s cute.”

I shove him off of me, climbing the wheelchair ramp leading to the porch and pulling my keys from my backpack to unlock the door. I duck as a plate flies out at us, soaring out into the overgrown lawn and clattering against the ground. Maven sputters, shocked, and I turn to ask him if he’s okay. He nods, and we all step inside.

Gisa and I make our way towards the yelling in the kitchen, knowing it’s just our brothers again. Gisa drags Maven by the arm, and we stop when we see all three of my brothers arguing around my mother, who happily ignores them as she makes dinner.

Shade grabs another plate from the cabinet, tossing it at Tramy and letting it shatter against the wall when he ducks. “You’re a piece of garbage. Don’t  _ ever _ say anything like that again.”

Tramy on the other hand, keeps laughing, moving to hide behind Bree as Shade throws another plate. It hits Bree on the chest, then clatters on to the tiled floor. “Hey, man, it’s not my fault she’s hot. I just call it like I see it.”

“That’s my fucking girlfriend, Tramy.”

“Watch your language, Shade,” My dad calls from his spot at the small dining table in the corner, his head resting on a closed fist. “Not in front of your sisters.”

All three whip their heads towards the small doorway, anger lacing all of their features. I clear my throat. “Hey, everyone.”

My mom turns, then, smiling at me and closing the distance between us. Her eyes fall on Maven, raising an eyebrow at the sight of his lip ring, but she doesn’t say anything about it. “Mare, you didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend over.” 

Maven smiles awkwardly, reaching out to shake her hand. “Hi, I’m Maven.”

“Ruth.” She shakes his hand as well, then turns to me. “Where’s Kilorn?”

I shrug. “He said he had something important to do.” Maven snorts, and Gisa elbows him in the side. “I was going to ask him to help me with my homework, so he bailed. Maven offered to help.”

My mom’s smile falters a bit. “Oh, well… that was nice of him.”

“He’s a huge nerd, so it’ll be good.” Gisa tugs on Maven’s arm, making them the same height. “Plus, he’s never seen Gossip Girl. We have to educate him.”

Mom nods, and Gisa turns, dragging Maven through the kitchen and introducing him to everyone. She gives the same sort of speeches for each of my brothers, listing off things about them that know one would ever need to know. She pushes out of the other door, and I go to follow them up the stairs but Mom grabs my arm, stopping me.

“You brought a boy over.”

_ Oh shit. _

I sigh, folding my arms. “It’s not a big deal, Mom. He’s just a friend of ours.”

Tramy laughs loudly, hopping up to sit on the counter. “That’s usually how I get girls, Mare. Friend them first, then-”

Shade shoves him backwards, making him fall to the floor with a loud thud. “I think what Mom means is that not only did you bring a boy over,” he lowers his voice. “You brought an emo into this house.”

“A what?” I stammer, looking to my mom.

She sighs, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Mare, you know that I love you, and that I want you to make friends, but… This boy seems like he’ll be… a bad influence on you.”

I laugh, before realizing that she’s being serious. “Mom. Maven watches Glee in his free time, and literally only eats Welch’s Fruit Snacks. I think the only time he influenced me to do anything was to drink apple juice at lunch today.  _ Apple juice. _ ” I emphasize the words, shaking my head. “He’s cool, you’ll like him.”

“You didn’t seem to want any friends, Mare.” Bree states the obvious, waving his arm at me as he helps Tramy up off the floor. “You’ve only been there a week and you’re already bringing someone over? What about Kilorn?”

“He’s busy. I can have friends other than Kilorn, you know.”

“Yeah, right.  _ Friends. _ ” Tramy uses air quotes, raising his eyebrows. I suddenly understand why Shade wanted to throw plates at him. “Look, guys, she’s just trying to get us to stop picking on her about Kilorn. She doesn’t want us to know.”

I stammer, blinking around the room. “Don’t want you to know what?”

They’re silent for a while, shifting uncomfortably. My dad sighs, spinning the wheels on his wheelchair to face me fully. “Mare. We know that you and Kilorn are in love. You don’t have to hide anything from us. It’s okay.”

My jaw hangs open, anger and embarrassment making my cheeks turn bright red. Tramy points at me. “See, you’re blushing.”

“I am not!” I frown, turning back to my mom. “Nothing is going on with me and Kilorn. And, nothing is going on with me and  _ Maven. _ Please drop it.”

Mom sighs, shaking her head at me. “Sweetheart, you’re seventeen. It’s totally natural for you to want to have boyfriends and go on dates.” I groan, but she continues. “I mean, I was seventeen when I met your father. I just don’t want you to hurt Kilorn. If being at this school is making you want to cheat on him-”

“I’m not dating Kilorn.”

“It might be best for us to pull you out.” She smiles at me softly. “I can just start homeschooling you again. It won’t be a big deal.”

“I’m. Not. Dating. Kilorn.”

My brothers chime in, making fun of me in turns.

“You could do so much better than an emo, Mare.”

“Shade’s right. You deserve someone like Kilorn. Calm, not reckless.  _ Safe. _ ”

“Hey, highschool makes you want to bone, I totally get it. I say, do whatever and whoever you want!”

“Tramy!” My mom gives him a stern look, causing Shade and Bree to both thump Tramy on the head. He groans, shutting his mouth.

I sigh again. “Guys. I don’t even  _ like _ Maven like that!”

Mom raises an eyebrow. “Then why would you bring him here?”

“I can be friends with  _ dudes _ without being in love with them, Mom!”

Everyone laughs, including my dad. My shoulders slump, realizing that no one is listening to me. “Okay.” I inhale, trying to calm down. “Maven is my friend. Kilorn is my friend.  _ We’re all just friends. _ Please stop harassing me.”

They’re quiet for a second, and I think that I’ve finally done it, but Tramy laughs. “No offense, Mare, but a dude that looks like  _ that _ ” He gestures at the door, meaning Maven. “Wouldn’t be here just to be your friend.”

Shade nods, surprisingly agreeing with Tramy on something. “All emos are the same Mare. He’s here to bone.” My mom glares at him, but he continues. “It’s the truth! I was emo once, and guess who I went after?  _ Diana Farley.  _ And look where we are now,” he smiles. “And, if you guys think that Diana and I don’t bone on the reg, you’d be wrong.”

Mom goes to reprimand him, but I cut her off, speaking over her. “Maven isn’t trying to sleep with me, Shade. We. Are. Just. Friends.”

Bree gasps. “Oh my God! He’s after Gisa!”

My moms mouth hangs open, and she turns quickly, storming out of the room. I chase her into the living room, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the stairs. “Mom. MOM!” She looks at me, and I lower my voice. “Maven has a boyfriend.” 

She blinks, and I let her go, turning to face my brothers, who followed us into the room. Shade sighs. “I knew he looked gay.”

“Technically, he’s bisexual.”

“What’s that?” Bree asks, turning to Tramy, who just shrugs.

“Something weird, probably.”

I roll my eyes, then back away from my mom. “Are we all calm now? Can I go upstairs and watch Gossip Girl  _ with my friend? _ ”

My mom, taking a breath, smiles and leans into my ear. “Just keep the door open. Dinner will be done in an hour.”

Sighing, I practically run up the stairs, desperate to get away from these crazy people. In our room, Gisa and Maven both lay on their stomachs facing Gisa’s laptop on the end of her bed. They started without me. “You assholes!” I kick off my shoes and throw my bag onto my own bed before jumping and sitting on Maven’s back until he scoots over so I can lay between them.

Gisa nudges me with her elbow. “Did they give you crap about Kilorn?”

“Yeah.”

She laughs, reaching out to pause the show. “I keep telling them, you don’t like Kilorn anymore, but they won’t listen.”

I turn to Maven. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Can I?” He smiles. “You’re family seems really nice.”

“Well, then be prepared to explain bisexuality to them.” He furrows his brow. “My brothers don’t think it’s a real thing.”

“Oh… okay?” He nods, and Gisa unpauses the show.  _ Jesus Christ, this is going to be a long night. _


	14. The Garden of Olives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Kilorn get ready for their first date.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is real gay
> 
> also get ready for some serious biz in the next few chapters
> 
> things are heatin up!!!!

I never really thought of myself as a hypocrite.

Maybe I just haven’t had anything to be hypocritical about before now. Mare would be angry with me, I think, to see me like this. Who would have thought that exactly one week ago, I was lecturing her about doing this exact same thing. But that was just teasing. I’m actually doing it.

I have to wipe drool from the corner of my mouth as Cal wipes sweat from his face with his shirt, exposing his muscled abdomen.

_ God damnit, Kilorn. _

The metal of the bleachers is cold under my fingers as they drum absentmindedly against them, waiting for Cal’s practice to be over. Football is important to him, and I promised I would sit through it. Truthfully, football is a really boring sport. I make a mental note to ask Cal what the point of it is, because I have absolutely no idea what is going on.  _ At least he’s pretty,  _ I think, folding one leg over the other.  _ At least I get to look at him. _

He drops his shirt, and I have to keep myself from sighing.

Ptolemus slings an arm over Cal’s shoulder, leaning down to whisper something into his ear. Cal’s eyes widen as Ptolemus points towards the bleachers, and it takes me a second to realize he’s pointing at  _ me _ .

I’m not surprised. Ptolemus Samos hates my guts.

I wish I knew then plan. Honestly, I have no idea where any of this is headed. Not only do I not know what we’re going to do after this, but I don’t know if Cal wants to tell people. I think Mare knows about us, but I can’t be sure. Maven definitely knows, I could see it in his eyes during lunch.

Maybe we’re not even dating. Maybe Cal just wants to have dinner with me to say that we can’t do this anymore. I don’t really know what I was expecting, honestly. Cal and I would go out  _ in public _ and just… have a good time? That  _ the _ Cal Calore would just tell people that he was dating the Fish Boy, a person literally everyone hates?

Maybe I’m overthinking things.

Maybe I’m right. We were just drunk and Cal regrets sleeping with me.

The thoughts gives me a chill and I fold my arms across my chest.

“Hey.”

I look up to see Cal, leaned against the railing in front of me, his cheeks bright red from exhaustion. His grip tightens on the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder as he smiles up at me. “You ready to go? I just have to change real quick.”

He seems happy. Excited, even. Huh. Maybe I’m wrong.

“Sure! Do you want me to stay here or…”

Cal thinks for a second, then points away from the field. “Do you know which one my car is?” I nod, knowing it’s the really  _ really _ expensive one. “You can wait over there if you’d like, I have to talk to Coach.”

“Okay,” I say, standing and grabbing my own bag. I watch him as he turns to head back into the school, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, I turn, heading away from the bleachers and towards the student parking lot. 

Despite my nervousness, I’m actually really excited to have dinner with Cal. There’s a lot we have to talk about. What happened at the party, what’s going to happen after this. Are we going to tell people? How will his parents and his friends feel about me?

Most importantly… are we dating?

Can I call Cal my boyfriend?

I laugh out loud as I reach the black vehicle, shoving my hands into my pockets and kicking at the pavement.  _ God, can you even imagine?  _ I think,  _ Hey, everyone look! It’s Cal Calore’s boyfriend, the Fish Boy! _

Trying my best to stifle my laughter, I hear someone else laughing as well. I turn to see Ptolemus Samos, walking towards the parking lot, his arm around Cal’s shoulder again. They both laugh loudly, making some sort of joke about their practice. Cal is back in the clothes he wore to school today, dark jeans and a black t-shirt. He looks nice, albeit a bit sweaty.

Cal and Ptolemus do something with their hands that I don’t quite understand, a secret handshake of some sort, before Cal turns to leave Ptolemus at his own car. I smile politely as Cal uses his keys to open the trunk of his car before slinging his backpack and his football equipment into it. He nods for me to do the same to my own backpack, before shutting the trunk and moving to the passenger side of the car. 

I furrow my brow, confused, then feel my heart swell as Cal opens the door for me. “Sorry if it smells bad. Maven smokes in here.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” I say, before sliding onto the leather seat. I understand what he means as he shuts the door behind me, my nostrils filling with the strong scent of tobacco. Cal opens the driver side door, and settles himself in the seat as I fasten my seatbelt. “So,” I begin, watching Cal’s hands as he buckles himself in. “Where are we going?”

Cal shrugs, placing the key in the ignition and turning the car on. He rolls down the windows, trying to get rid of the smokey smell. “Somewhere nice but not too fancy?” I squint, and he continues. “Like, I want to take you somewhere amazing but I am  _ not _ dressed to go someplace too high class.”

I understand then, looking at my own faded jeans.  _ He wants to take me somewhere nice? _ I think, trying to remember what restaurants are in town. I can only think of places in the Stilts.  _ Why was I so worried? He’s adorable and really sweet. _

Cal and I suggest a restaurant at the same time, both taken aback by the sudden unison as we utter the same two words:

_ “Olive Garden?” _

We both laugh, and Cal puts the car in drive. 

This is going to be a really amazing night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“And so, Ptolemus goes  _ sprinting _ down the hallway, right? And Jacos is chasing him at like, full speed. Then Ptolemus hooks a right, and Jacos smacks right into the wall, ripping down all of the posters, and Tol comes running back to us, holding the goat, right? And he goes, are you ready for this? Ptolemus goes, ‘Man, we gotta find a better scapegoat!’”

Cal smacks the table after his story, punctuating his sentences and pauses with small giggles. My laughter is more forced and awkward. He raises his eyebrows at me, and I nod, laughing a bit harder and trying to make it look like I got the joke. 

“Because-” Cal snorts. “Because we had an actual goat!”

“Haha, yeah,” I keep laughing with him, even though   _ I have no idea what the fuck he’s talking about. _

Cal wipes a tear, and I wonder how we got to the story. I only asked him to explain the concept of football to me. Apparently, football has a lot more… goats than I expected. I prop my head on my hand against the table, pushing the remains of my salad around on my plate. Despite me not understanding some of his jokes, this date is actually going fairly well!

Of course, I’ve never been on a date before this, but it feels alright.

Popping an olive into his mouth, Cal watches me, finally stopping his laughter. “So,” He begins, cocking his head at me. “Do you have any good kidnapping stories?”

“What- Oh! Because you stole the goat! Um…” Cal nods, and I think for a moment. “I don’t think so. The Barrows and I usually just go fishing. Or, we go to like, a Walmart or something so Mare can shoplift.” I sigh. “We’re way less interesting than that.”

Cal smiles, his features warm and inviting. “You’re interesting, Kilorn.” My heart beats loudly, and I hope he can’t hear it from across the table. “I mean,  _ I _ think so, at least.”

I smile back, trying not to acknowledge the sweat forming on my brow. “Sorry that I’m so awkward.”

“No! You’re not being awkward at all.” Cal beams, scratching at his neck. “I’m nervous too, don’t worry.” He lowers his voice a bit. “I’ve uh… never actually been on a real date before.”

I laugh again, before realizing that he’s not joking. “What? You’re Cal Calore! I thought you got lots of girls.”

He shakes his head. “No, those are mostly just things I say to Ptolemus so he’ll leave me alone. Then he goes around telling people I’m a player or whatever.” Cal shifts in his seat, and I notice that he really  _ is  _ nervous. “Honestly, you’re only the third person I’ve ever kissed.”

Now  _ that _ shocks me. “Really?”

Cal nods again. “Yeah. You, Mare, and uh, Evangeline Samos.” I open my mouth, but he waves me off. “We were at a party two years ago, and Tirana Osanos made us play spin the bottle. Eve is actually a lesbian, so…”

“Huh. I actually never would have guessed that.” I think briefly of Evangeline, and her treating every man in the school like garbage, and it starts to make sense. “You know, I thought you guys were dating for a while.”

“Eve tells people that we are. Something about staying on top of the popular pyramid and maintaining the social hierarchy.”

We both laugh then, knowing that Evangeline Samos is actually insane. “Did you talk to her about almost burning your house down yet?”

“Nah,” Cal sighs. “She wasn’t at school today. I imagine she’s hiding to avoid my brother’s wrath.” 

I nod. “Yeah, he seemed pretty angry.”

Cal lowers his voice again. “You know, I uh… told Maven about us.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Us?”

“Yeah… he’s pretty intuitive. But, also, we tell eachother everything. Not a lot of people know about him and Thomas either.” I watch Cal closely, waiting for him to elaborate on what  _ us _ means. He laughs awkwardly, picking up a breadstick and ripping it in half. “I mean… I don’t know. Was that wrong? Like, should I not have-”

“Yes, Tiberias, please, keep secrets from your brother.” He laughs again at my sarcasm, handing me one half of the breadstick. “I don’t want to be… _ that _ person, but… what are we?”

“What?”

I shove the breadstick into my mouth, chewing hesitantly. “I mean, like, are we dating or?”

Cal blinks at me, swallowing a mouthful of bread.”Kilorn, we’re literally on a date.”

“I know that!” I shove his arm, making him laugh again. “I just… I don’t want to assume anything, you know? I need to know if I’m jumping to conclusions or if I’m reading into this too much or-”

I’m cut off as Cal leans across the table to kiss me. It’s awkward and surprising, considering the size of the table between us. He sits back down, smiling at my blushing cheeks. “I really like you, Kilorn. I want to be your boyfriend.”

My heart either vomits or does a backflip in my chest. I can’t tell which. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, Cal.” I smile at him. “I like you, too. You can be my boyfriend.”

Cal laughs again, his own face turning bright red as our waiter returns, taking away our salad plates and placing our pastas in front of us. I laugh as Cal has the man put a  _ ton _ of cheese on top of his alfredo, not saying to stop until there is a little mountain of cheese.

We eat in silence for a few minutes, before I ask Cal to tell me another story about him and his friends causing trouble. Even though they make absolutely no sense to me, I like watching him talk. Cal tells stories in a very animated way, moving his arms and using voices for the people involved. It’s pretty adorable how excited he gets as he talks in between forkfuls of noodles.

The pounding of my heart drowns out the sound of his voice, my own thoughts becoming very  _ very  _ loud.  _ My boyfriend is adorable. My boyfriend. Boyfriend.  _ The word repeats itself in my brain, making my entire body feel like jello as I literally go numb with happiness.

“Kilorn?”

“Yeah?”

Cal blinks at me again, and I shake my head. “Sorry, I’m just… really glad to be here with you.” He smiles, and I swirl my fork in my pasta. “You were saying something about a kegstand?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Making out feels very different when you’re not drunk.

I can actually remember this, how Cal feels, how he tastes. The smokey smell of the interior of his car, the roughness of his movements, the texture of his hair through my fingers. I don’t remember too much of Saturday night, or what all we did.

I know we slept together, and that every inch of my body felt tired the morning after, but I don’t remember exactly what we did. I’m more nervous now, I think. Alcohol made me very confident and sure of everything I did and said. Now, in the backseat of Cal’s car, I have  _ no _ idea what I’m doing.

What I do know, is that it’s probably getting late. That Mare and Gisa are probably worried about me. I promised them I would go back to their house after ‘running my errands.’ I think about finding my phone, and sending them a quick text, but Cal’s hands stop me from thinking. 

He pulls my shirt off over my head and throws it into the front seat.  _ Oh my god, we’re actually doing this. _

Cal’s fingers run over my bare chest, and his breathing slows down a bit. I feel awkward watching him look at me, so I grab his chin to kiss him again. I can feel him smile against my lips, chuckling to himself. My hands find the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and trying to take it off of him.

We stop as Cal’s phone rings from inside his back pocket.

He sighs, pulling away from me and I can’t stop myself from laughing loudly. His arms are stuck in the sleeves of his shirt, forcing them to stay upright and hiding his face. Cal doesn’t laugh, and I pull his shirt back down so he can find his phone.

He rolls his eyes as he slides the answer bar to the right. 

“Hey, Mavey.” Cal looks to me, and I run a hand through his messy hair. “Wait, what? Slow down.” His tone becomes serious, and I quickly move to find my shirt. “Maven, what is going on? Where are you?” He looks at me again, moving the phone away from his face for a second. “He’s screaming about something, I’m so sorry.”

I simply shrug as I pull my shirt down over my stomach. “It’s okay, Cal.”

He returns the phone to his cheek. “Wait, what?” A pause. “Okay. Okay, we’re coming, it’s okay. Stay there.” He hangs up the phone and climbs into the front seat rather awkwardly, struggling to get his large self over the console and in front of the wheel.

I follow, climbing into the passenger seat. “What’s wrong?”

“Maven, Mare and Gisa are at New Town Park in the Stilts.” He starts the car as I fasten my seatbelt, quickly driving away from the Olive Garden parking lot. “Someone’s been shot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUNDUNDUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> whabam plot twist haha


	15. The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Kilorn find themselves at the scene of a crime.
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi sorry for the drastic change in moods jesus christ this went from happy gays at the olive garden to someone almost dying lmao enjoy

Part of me expected Maven to be lying to me. That I would show up and he would just say he needed an excuse for me to come get him. Maven has always been a liar, especially growing up. I suppose he needs to be, with a mother like Elara.

So, I am very surprised to see that he was telling the truth.

Kilorn and I gasp audibly as we see the red and blue lights of a flashing siren.

I stop the car a few meters away from the lights, quickly putting the vehicle in park and turning the engine off. We’re both out of the car in seconds, rushing towards the parked police cars.

Kilorn places a hand on my shoulder and I slow, realizing that it probably isn’t smart to rush to a literal crime scene. He points, and my eyes follow his finger. We both exhale as we see the three we came for.  _ Alive, thank God. _

Mare and Gisa huddle together, sitting on the bottom of a slide with a dark blanket slung around their shoulders. Mare whispers hurriedly, but Gisa stays quiet, her eyes stuck in a state of wide shock. Maven stands behind them, speaking quickly to an officer.

We take a second to assess what’s going on.

There’s only police cars, no ambulance. Whoever got shot must be at the hospital by now. There are others in the park, kids around our age with blankets just like the shivering Barrows. I look around at the people gathered outside of the park. Family members, no doubt, of the kids in the park. I look around to see if I know anyone. I can’t really see any of their faces, they’re all focused on the crime scene. Worry covers all of their postures, most of them yelling with concern for their loved ones in the park. One person stands taller than the rest, and I blink in the cool air as I see his silver hair shine in the pale moonlight.

“Ptolemus?”

He turns, his eyes widening as he spots me and Kilorn, then shoves his way through the crowd to get to us. As he gets closer, I notice the trails of dried tears lining his cheeks. I realize this must mean Evangeline is here, too.

“Hey,” Ptolemus finally closes the distance between us, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “Shit’s fucked, Calore.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” I look back to the park, specifically at my brother, still speaking with the officer. Even from a distance I can see his trembling hands. “What happened?”

Ptolemus fishes his phone out of his pocket, handing it to me so I can see the screen. “Eve’s been texting me. Apparently she tweeted about going to the park in hopes your brother would follow her here because of what happened Saturday.” He pauses. “Sorry about the fire, by the way. Eve’s a little crazy.”

I shrug, and ask him to continue.

“Well, she has like, a thousand followers, and other people thought it was an invitation, so they had an impromptu party on the spot. A crap ton of kids showed up. Almost all of the juniors in town. Look at all of them.” He gestures to the crowd and the park, and I see all of the kids. There really are a lot of them. “We’re talkin’ our school, Harbor Bay Academy, the poor kids from Tuck, and even some assholes from  _ Rocasta _ . Eleventh graders everywhere, Cal.

“Anyway, the Little Prince showed up, and she stopped texting me. They fought for a while I think.” He scrolls on the phone to show me the time gap between his texts. “Next thing I know, Eve’s scream-typing about someone being shot. They all go into hiding, I call 911, but they say someone’s already on the way to them.”

Ptolemus eyes Kilorn for a second, then turns back to the park. “From what I know so far, it was a drive-by. Some gang or something driving past the park, seeing the party and just firing away. I don’t know how many times they shot, but they only hit one person.”

“Who?”

“Tirana Osanos.”

Kilorn and I gasp in unison again, and I look at him briefly before turning back to Ptolemus. “Is she…”

“She’s fine, I think. They got her in the leg or something.” He reaches into his pocket, digging out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. I say nothing about how bad those things are as he lights one, breathing smoke out into the night air. “Shit’s  _ really _ fucked.”

“Yeah.” I exhale, making eye contact with Kilorn again. He’s really worried. I squeeze his hand with mine, not caring when Ptolemus shoots me a harsh glance. We stand in silence as Ptolemus finishes the cigarette, waiting as the officers finally lift up some of the caution tape and let the kids go running to their parents.

“Tolly!”

Evangeline barrels towards us, and Ptolemus flicks the end of his cigarette into the grass to wrap his arms around his sister. Her face is streaked with dark makeup, her cheeks flushed as silent tears continue to fall. “Oh, Tolly, it was awful. So awful-”

“Shh, it’s okay.” Ptolemus smooths her silver hair as she sobs into his chest, placing his chin on the top of her head. “It’s okay, Eve. It’s over now.” He smiles to me softly, nodding to me and, to my surprise, to Kilorn. “I’ll see you guys later. I’m gonna get her home.”

Kilorn releases my hand, and I turn away from Ptolemus to watch Kilorn run to Mare, hugging her tightly and asking if she’s okay. “We’re fine.” She says, still holding Gisa’s hand instead of hugging Kilorn back. He releases her, and they watch as my brother finally finds me in the crowd. 

Maven’s been crying, too. “Hey.” He feigns nonchalance, and though I want to ask him a million questions, I know that I shouldn’t. Right now, we all just need to get out of here. “Can we take them home, too? Mare doesn’t want her parents to know.”

“What?” I turn to Mare, who just shakes her head. “Why wouldn’t you-”

“I don’t want Dad or my mom to know either.”

I turn, my mouth hanging open, back to face my brother. He folds his arms. “I wasn’t supposed to be out. Neither were they. We snuck out of Mare’s room, and I was supposed to wait for you while you were at practice.” His eyes dart between me and Kilorn, his face stoic. 

Sighing, I nod, tightening my grip on my keys. “Okay. Come on, then.” I wait for Kilorn to catch up with us, his arms still around Mare and Gisa. We pile into the car, Maven in the passenger seat and Kilorn squished between the two girls in the back. I take the three of them back to the Barrow’s house.

The drive is completely silent. I don’t get to kiss Kilorn goodnight the way I wanted to.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


I wince as the floorboard beneath  my foot creaks, shutting my eyes in the hopes that I don’t wake up my father. I silently yell at the floor to shut up before I continue down the hallway towards Maven’s room. We got home around 11 o’clock, making my father wonder what took us so long. In a state of panic, I mumbled something about football running late and storming off. I stayed in the hallway to hear Maven whispering quietly to Elara, saying that I was covering so he could spend time with Thomas.

My brother is a liar, and a good one. I shake my head as I push open the door to Maven’s dark room, slinking inside before shutting the door behind me. 

He lays in his bed, under the blankets but not asleep. He stares at the ceiling, not acknowledging my entrance. I sigh, making my way to the bed and climbing in beside him. I lay my hands over the comforter, folding my fingers together and staring up at the ceiling with him. There are posters up there, and I look into the eyes of a demonic being on a logo for some metal band.

Maven sighs, not looking at me. “How was your date?”

I shrug, looking away from the demon to find something friendlier to look at. My eyes dart through horror movie posters, ghosts and women covered in blood before settling back on the demon. “It was fine.” He just nods, shutting his eyes. I don’t want to ask or make him uncomfortable, but I need to know. “What happened, Mavey?”

Sighing again, Maven shifts, moving one of his arms to cover his eyes. “When we cleaned up after the party, Mare and I discussed… revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Mhmm.” He cracks the knuckles of his fingers, the sound making me cringe a little. “Something to make Evangeline pay for what she did. Mare is probably the only person who wants to take her down as much as I do. Thomas would never help me.” I open my mouth to ask something else, but he talks over me. “I know she’s, like, your friend or whatever, but she almost burned our house down. Also, I hate her.

“We just… we were just going to go to her party and scare her or something. Like, pay someone to jump out at her from a bush. Just enough to film and put on Twitter.” I roll my eyes at that, knowing that he’s probably lying. I know my brother better than anyone else, and he definitely had something worse in mind. I make a mental note to ask Mare what he was really going to do.

“We go there and things were… more difficult than that.” Maven sighs again. “She saw us and called me something and I just… kind of lost it.” He laughs, shaking his head. “I’m always doing that. Getting angrier than I should.”

I wait for him to finish, but he stops there. I nudge him with my elbow. “Then what?”

The minutes tick by. Maven searches for the right words. “It all happened so fast, Cal. There was a sound. Kind of like… fireworks. And this weird light. We all kind of… ducked? I don’t know if that’s the right word. We didn’t know what it was, at first, so we all freaked out. I watched this car drive off. And we all looked around and… Tirana was on the ground.

“We rushed to her, obviously, and I tried to put pressure on her leg. Elane called the police, almost everyone else ran screaming from the place. Mare held her head while we waited for an ambulance. I called you when they were leaving to go to the hospital.”

We lay in silence for a few more minutes, and I let it all soak in for a moment before rolling onto my side, facing Maven completely. “How do you feel?”

Maven rolls too, folding his arms and meeting me with his blue eyes. “I don’t know. I hate Tirana Osanos.” I furrow my brow, and he continues. “But, like, it was  _ bad _ , Cal. Really bad. I’ve never…” He sniffs, and now, looking at his face, I can tell that he’s been crying again. “I’ve never seen that much blood before. Not like that, anyway.”

He wipes his face, hands trembling. “ I hate her. But, I never wanted her to get shot. I hate a lot of people, but I would never try to kill anyone, Cal.” 

I lift my arm, rolling onto my back. Maven scoots towards me, laying his head on my chest as I lay my arm over his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Mavey. She’ll be okay.”

“How can you know that, though?” Maven sighs, sniffling a little. “What if she  _ dies _ ?”

“She’s not going to-”

“What if she dies, and she dies knowing I hated her?”

Maven goes quiet again, breathing deeply. I can tell he’s trying to calm down.

I wish I knew what to tell him.

He’s my baby brother. I’m supposed to be able to fix things. To make things better for him. But while his life was in danger, and he was  _ almost _ shot, I was getting laid in the back of a car. I’m a horrible brother. I should know what to say in this situation. I should know how to make him feel better. I should have answers for him.

But I don’t.

I have no idea what to do or say.

“I’m sorry.” Is all that comes out of my mouth.

Maven sighs again, his breathing slowing down. “What if it was Mare?”

I blink. “Wh-what?”

He looks up at me, his eyes filling with tears again. “What if Mare got shot?”

Again, I’ve got nothing. “Maven, I-”

“What if Mare  _ died _ , Cal? What if she got shot and I just… let it happen? What would I do, then, huh? Just… watch? Wait for an ambulance to get her, take her to a hospital so she can die there instead of in the dirt? What if-” He stops himself, shaking his head and sitting upright in bed. I follow suit, scooting towards the pillows and folding my legs to watch him.

He breathes slowly, trying to calm down even more. I briefly wonder why he cares so much about Mare. He’s only known her for a week, right? And Gisa was there too, but he didn’t mention her. Weird. Maybe I don’t understand my brother like I think I do.

Maven sighs again before turning to look at me, forcing a smile. “I’m okay, Cal. Really.”

“You don’t seem okay.”

“I’m  _ fine. _ ” He turns, throwing himself against the other side of the bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin and turning away from me. “Get out.”

I stand slowly, staring at him for a second before stepping out of the room and shutting the door. I exhale once in the hallway, angry with myself for not being able to fix things for him. I quietly make my way back to my room, climbing back into my own bed and pulling my phone out from under my pillow. Finding the keypad, I quickly press a phone number in before holding the phone to my ear.

_ “...Hello?” _

“Hey, Kilorn. It’s Cal... Can we talk?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact it was gonna be iris who go shot but she hasn't even been mentioned in this fic yet so  
> it had to be someone else i fuckin hate that's not sonya iral lmao


	16. The Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maven and Mare skip school after hearing some awful news.
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some things for this chapter: Mare's description of Maven is based off of one of my favorite lines in King's Cage, when Cameron sees Maven on TV when he's giving the address with Mare: "He's good looking. Not broad like Cal, but finely shaped, a sculpture of sweeping cheekbones and glossy black hair. Beautiful, not handsome." because that is lovely writing and so descriptive and ugh sorry just thought i'd mention it
> 
>  
> 
> also the conversation about dinosaurs is based off a recurring conversation between me and my friend (hi madison i love ya, ya scaly) so don't think I'm crazy but yeah it's something we talk about a lot actually lmaoooo

Mrs. Blonos uses the intercom during homeroom to announce the death of Tirana Osanos.

Counseling is being offered in the front office to the students who are overcome with grief. The entirety of my homeroom is spent with all of the students speaking fondly of her, or how tragic this was.

The only one to stay completely silent is me.

When homeroom ends, I am the first to leave.

I’m not sure why it’s affecting me so much. I’ve only been at this school for a week, and I hadn’t even met her before last night. Maybe it was how suddenly she died. That she was just partying and having a good time with her friends and just… got shot for no reason. And died.

Maybe it’s the fact that I was so close to her. Not emotionally. I mean,  _ actually  _ close to her. I was standing right next to her. She was speaking to me as the car drove by.

She asked me if I was hooking up with Cal.

I said no, and she got shot.

Maybe the reason I’m so messed up is because if they had aimed just two inches to the right, they would have shot me.

Mr.s Blonos would be announcing my death to the school.

The only difference in that situation, is that these kids don’t know me.

No one would really care.

She’d say Mare Barrow and they’d say: who?

I approach my locker, opening it and leaning against the door.  _ That has to change. _ I think, retrieving my Common textbook.  _ I need to make these kids know who I am. _

Looking down the hall, I spot Evangeline Samos. Kids are swarming her, asking if she’s okay and if she needs anything. I don’t even think she  _ liked  _ Tirana Osanos, but all of them are so worried about her.

_ That’s what I need to be like. I need to make these kids love me. _

I startle as the locker next to mine rings loudly as someone slams into it. I turn, peering around the door to my own locker, and find Maven leaning against the one that made the loud noise. “Hey,” I begin, then stop myself from talking as I see the dark circles under his eyes.

“You’re really going to class?” He asks, hunching forward to pick at his chipped nails, already chewed down to stumps.

I watch him for a second, knowing that he’s probably thinking the same things about death that I am. “You wanna skip?” I ask, causing him to look up at me. “I can go get Gisa.”

He shrugs, leaning over a little and lowering his voice. “Do we  _ have _ to bring Gisa? I was kinda hoping…” His eyes dart around the hallway, landing on Evangeline Samos as she dramatically cries over some girl she probably hated anyway. “I was hoping it could just be the two of us.”

Maven’s voice is so low I barely hear him over the noise of the hallway. I don’t ask why he doesn’t want to bring Gisa or even Thomas. Instead, I place my book back in my locker, then hold the door open for him to place his own bag inside.

The door to the locker barely shuts around both of our backpacks, but I shove my shoulder into it, forcing it closed. I smile at Maven as we weave through the hall to the front entrance, not caring who sees that we’re actually going to skip school today. It feels exhilarating. 

I practically bound down the steps, letting go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “Where are we going?” Turning to Maven, I see him heave a sigh the same way I did. He shrugs in response, and I grab his arm, looping mine through the hook of his elbow. “I think you need coffee or something.” I boop his nose with my finger, trying to lighten the mood. “You look like a zombie.”

He laughs, nodding. “Coffee sounds good. I didn’t sleep much.”

“I can tell.” I look up at him, laying my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t either.”

Maven leans into me, and even though the thought of death and no one caring about me made freeze up on the inside, I suddenly feel very warm.

  
  
  
  
  
  


I sip at my frappuccino, twisting the straw between my fingers. My feet step carefully one in front of the other as I balance myself on the railing around the sidewalk. Archeon is an extremely busy city, and I had never seen it during the day. Only at night, when all of the people inhabiting it are sound asleep.

It’s very different from the Stilts. My town is busy, sure, with little shops and bookstores. Archeon is… loud and crazy. Cars whip around corners, homeless people yell in the streets, dogs bark, and buisnessmen walk swiftly across the street while talking into bluetooth headphones. And if that weren’t enough, there are skyscrapers. Actual skyscrapers and enormous buildings. Billboards with flashing lights and advertisements glare down on the people below. It’s weird and new to a poor girl from the Stilts.

Maven holds my free hand as I balance myself on the railing, walking alongside me. He’s used to the bustle, and maneuvers around other people as they pass us on the sidewalk. His phone rings from his pocket, and he ignores it, focusing on me instead. I stumble, losing my balance for a second and he steadies me, laughing half-heartedly.  _ At least he’s feeling better _ , I think, thanking him and standing upright again.  _ He has a nice laugh, and I don’t like when he’s sad. _

I smile to myself, then turn to look down at him. “Okay. Bill Skarsgård.” 

“What about him?”

“Do you think he’s hot?”

Maven laughs again, looking up at me. “Obviously, Mare. He’s gorgeous.” He pauses for a second, reconsidering. “Except in It.”

I frown. “I never saw It. I’m afraid of clowns.”

“Don’t watch it. It sucks. Literally.” He shakes his head, still laughing. “Like, it’s a bad movie. I only went to see it so I could look at Bill Skarsgård, and he was a fuckin’ clown the whole time.”

I laugh too, taking another sip of my frap. “Disappointing?”

“Extremely.” Maven stops to think again, drinking from his own latte. “Hmm. Okay, okay. Chris Pratt.”

“Obviously!” I gasp, thinking about Parks and Rec. “Chris Pratt is so pretty. Like, in a cuddly way.”

“Exactly. Ten out of ten. Would bone.” We both laugh for a few minutes as Maven helps me down from the railing. “Maybe that’s what we should do today.”

I snort. “Chris Pratt?”

Maven chokes on his coffee, spitting some out onto the pavement and shooting me a judging look. I bat my eyelashes in response, sipping from my straw innocently. He throws his coffee into the trash can beside us. “No, I mean. Let’s go see a Chris Pratt movie.”

Leaning back against the railing, I think for a second. “That sounds fun. What’s out, though?”

Maven nods, opening his mouth to say something, but stopping as his phone rings again. He frowns, and I can tell he wants to ignore it. I sigh, reaching around him and pulling his phone out of his pocket, not pausing as he tries to smack my hands away.

I look down at the screen, laughing a little, then stopping as I see the name. “Um… You have your father in here as ‘Daddy?’ What are you, five?”

He only smirks, taking the phone from me and answering it, holding the phone to his ear. “Hi,  _ Thomas _ .”

I practically fall face first into the pavement from laughter, clutching my stomach and wiping the tears that form in my eyes. Maven excuses himself to talk to Thomas, stepping a few feet away from me. I lean against the rail again, slurping down the rest of my frap before removing the lid to eat the whipped cream with my straw.

Maven kicks at the pavement as he talks, low enough so I can’t hear him. I watch him closely, respecting his privacy but also curious as to why he didn’t answer the first few times if he knew it was Thomas. Maven looks really good right now. My eyes dart between the sunlight glinting off of his lip ring and the spiked bracelets at his wrists. He lacks his usual leather jacket, and I realize this is the first time I’ve really seen his arms.

They’re not like Cal’s: muscley and veined. Maven’s arms are long and thin, his elbows pointy and his wrists small. The bracelets hang loosely, falling over his hand when he moves his arm to his side. My gaze finds his face again, and he smiles at me. His smile is warm, despite his cold eyes, and he turns away again as he continues to talk. I watch his jawline as he moves, and look up at the swoop of his cheekbones. 

In just a few seconds, I realize that Maven is really pretty.

Not exactly handsome, like Cal. But, pretty.

My heart does a flip.

_ Oh. _

_ Oh no. _

I turn quickly, looking away from him and out at the street. I focus on a person hailing a taxi, yelling at someone as they jump into the taxi before they do.  _ Why am I like this? _ I think, finishing off the whipped cream and chucking the cup into the trash can.  _ I have to stop pining after people. He has a boyfriend, Mare. _

Cursing at myself, my mind wanders to what would happen if Maven  _ wasn’t  _ dating Thomas.  _ He’s bisexual, right? _

_ Stop it, Mare. You are  _ not _ a homewrecker. _

Maven’s hand on my back startles me, making me jump a little. “Are you okay?”

I gulp. “Yeah…” I rack my brain for other things to focus on than Maven’s face, trying to change the subject. “Um.. Should we see Jurassic World? I think it’s out now.” 

He smiles. “Sure! Need me some Chris Pratt!”

I laugh with him, but can’t shake the feeling that I get when I hear his melodic laughter.

_ What is wrong with me? _

  
  
  
  
  


“Okay. Opinion. Do you think they were going to fuck the dinosaurs?”

I practically drop the leftover popcorn, moving quickly to make sure it doesn’t hit the ground. “What?”

Maven laughs, folding his arms. “I mean, they were really going to spend  _ that much money _ on just a dinosaur?”

I think for a second. “Um.. aren’t your parents, like, filthy rich?”

“Yes, but they wouldn’t spend that much on a dinosaur. They wouldn’t even buy one at all. We’re rich, what do we need one for, y’know? There wouldn’t be any point in owning one.” He shrugs. “Unless my dad wanted to fuck it.”

“Maven!”

“What? I’m just being realistic! I mean, what would we do with a dinosaur, Mare?”

“Not  _ fuck  _ it!” I shiver at the thought. “It’s a  _ dinosaur!  _ Why would anyone do that?”

He just shrugs again, smiling. “Just to say that they did it.”

I glare at him, poking his chest with my finger. “Would you?”

“Would I what?”

“Fuck a dinosaur?”

Maven laughs loudly, gaining the attention of some others in the theater’s lobby. “I mean, I’ve never met a dinosaur, so I wouldn’t really know.” He thinks for a second. “ _ If _ my dad spent a couple million on a dinosaur, and we kept it in our living room or something… And it wasn’t a T-Rex or anything that would murder me... Then I  _ probably _ …  _ maybe _ … would try to fuck it.”

I punch him in the shoulder, making him laugh even louder. “That’s horrible.”

“What? You’re saying you would never,  _ under any circumstances _ , ever try to fuck a dinosaur?”

I open my mouth to say no, but stop, laughing to myself. Maven punches my arm as payback for me punching him. “That’s what I thought.”

“I always figured you were a furry, Little Prince.” 

Maven and I frown, turning slowly to face Evangeline Samos. She smirks, flicking her hair over one shoulder. Elane Haven clings to her arm, and I blink at them, wondering why they aren’t at school. Based on the way he scowls, I can tell Maven is about to say something nasty. I cut him off before he does, trying to lighten the mood. “Would someone who is into dinosaurs even be a furry? Dinosaurs don’t even have fur.”

I nudge Maven with my elbow, making him smile. It’s good to keep him from getting angry around Evangeline, as I’ve learned from their argument at the party last night before everything went to shit. He lowers his voice, chuckling a little. “They’d be a  _ scaly _ .”

We laugh a little louder, and Evangeline just scoffs. “Shouldn’t you be in school right now?”

Maven and I exchange glances. “Um…” He looks her up and down, then out at the rest of the theater. “We could ask you the same thing.”

Elane giggles a little. “Touchee.”

Beside her, Evangeline just shrugs, taking a sip from her red slushie. “A good day to skip and go on a date, wouldn’t you say?”

Maven stammers, searching for the right words. “We’re not on a-”

“Of  _ course _ you’re not, Princeling.” Evangeline laughs wickedly, her hooped earrings jingling. “Does your boyfriend know you’re here? With  _ her _ ?” She tips her head at me, and Maven’s stammering stops completely.  _ Did he not tell Thomas where we are? Is that why he stepped away from me to talk to him? _ “I thought not. It’s actually good that we ran into each other here.” She nudges Elane, and they turn away from us towards the door. “Walk with us.”

I shrug, then pull Maven’s arm to make us follow them out of the theater, he looks down at me, panic streaking across his blue eyes. Evangeline yawns, waiting for us to catch up and walk beside them on the sidewalk. “I want us to call a truce,  _ Mavey _ .”

Maven groans, folding his arms. “Don’t call me that.” Then, he processes her words. “A truce? Over what?”

Evangeline waves her slushie-holding arm, gesturing between the two of them. “This… feud that we have.”

Scoffing, he shakes his head. “You mean like when you tried to burn my house down? Absolutely not.” I nudge him, urging him to listen to her.

She sighs, stopping and finishing off her slushie. She hands the empty cup to Elane, and kisses her girlfriend on the lips before Elane runs to throw the cup away. “I mean… With everything that’s going on.” Evangeline frowns, and for a split second, I think I see sadness in her eyes. “If I hadn’t been fighting with you, I wouldn’t have sent that tweet last night. There wouldn’t have been a party. We wouldn’t have been at the park.

“Tirana wouldn’t be-”

She stops herself, grabbing Elane’s hand when she returns from the trash.

Maven nods, unfolding his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I guess that makes sense. I’ve been thinking about that, too.” He looks down at me, and I nod to him encouragingly. “Are there… terms for this truce?”

Evangeline thinks for a second, scratching her chin with her claw-like nails. “Yes, but I want to hear yours first.” We blink at her, and she sighs. “Your terms, Maven. What do you want from me?”

He gasps a little, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “I want the platform by the history wing.”

Then, it’s her turn to look surprised. “Wh-what?”

“I want to sit there. You and your friends can go somewhere else.”

“N-no!” Evangeline looks down at Elane, who only shrugs. “No, that’s our spot.” She sighs. “Our terms, are that you stay away from Cal.” She points her finger at me. “You’re creating problems for us.”

Maven laughs, but I’m confused. “Um… how?”

Elane shifts back and forth. “No offense, but you’re new. You’re not exactly the popular type. Cal needs to date someone who will help his image. Not someone who’s… a nobody. No offense.” She adds again, shrugging awkwardly.

Maven speaks before I can. “Absolutely not. If I can’t have the platform, you can’t manipulate Mare.” He winks at me, to let me know he’s joking around. “She can hook up with my brother all she wants.”

Evangeline huffs, throwing her arms up. “Then what the hell is the point of this truce, then? If I don’t get anything out of it, what’s the point?” 

I shrug, catching onto Maven’s lie. “I don’t know… But he’s right. I like the view from the platform. I guess that if I can’t sit there… I’ll just hook up with Cal even harder.”

She blinks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means.”

Evangeline fumes, and Elane  leans up to whisper in her ear. They speak for a few minutes, leaving Maven and I to snicker by ourselves. Finally, they turn back to us. “What else do you want?” 

Maven sighs. “Nothing but the platform and justice. If there’s no platform, I  _ will _ set you on fire.”

Taking a few steps back, Evangeline bumps into the wall of the building behind her, startling her and making her whip around. “Well- well-”

Elane steps towards us, lowering her voice. “You stop messing with Cal, we don’t tell Thomas you’re cheating on him.”

Our jaws drop, and Evangeline laughs loudly as she approaches us again, hi-fiving her girlfriend proudly. “I’m not.” Maven states, scowling.

Elane just tilts her head to the side, cat-like. “Well, it would be a shame if someone told him you were, right? Or provided evidence that you skipped school today to go on a date with Mare Barrow?” She pulls out her phone, clicking through the pictures she took of us as we laughed about the dinosaurs in the theater, smiling fondly and hanging onto each other closely.

I gulp, looking between Maven and Elane. “You… you wouldn’t.”

Evangeline smirks. “Oh we  _ would. _ And we will, if you don’t stop hooking up with Cal.”

Maven growls low in his throat. “Evangeline-”

She turns, holding Elane’s hand and walking away from us. “Think it over, Little Prince. And just think about how you would feel if the whole school knew that Maven Calore is a dirty little cheater. Ta ta!” 

We watch dumbfoundedly as they strut away from us, laughing evilly and leaning into each other. Maven sighs. “Fuck.”

I turn to look up at him. “I’m not even doing anything with Cal.”

“I know! And I’m not even doing anything with you!” He frowns, glaring after them as they disappear from our vision. “We’ll… we’ll figure something out. Don’t worry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate titles for this chapter:  
> oh no he's hot  
> damn the lesbians are out to get us  
> oh my fuckin god she fuckin dead


	17. The First Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilorn and Gisa have a vent-fest.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kilorn chapters are usually short what can i say?
> 
> also gisa is literally me

A shiver runs down my spine as the wind whips a strand of Gisa’s hair towards me, brushing my ear. I turn to look at her, her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her elbows. She looks small compared to the massive tree behind her, gazing out at the field before us. She hasn’t touched her lunch.

I wish Mare was here. She would know what to say. I honestly don’t really know how to comfort someone after a death. No one consoled me when my dad died, so how would I know what to say to Gisa? I look down at my phone, unlocking it and typing out a quick message to Mare to see where she is.

Then, I delete it, remembering the seven texts I’ve already sent her.

She’s ignoring me.

Sighing, Gisa turns to me, her eyebrows droopy. “It’s not like Mare to skip.” She blinks for a few seconds, inhaling and exhaling rhythmically. “Not without me, at least.”

“I wonder where she went.” I think aloud, leaning forward on my folded legs.

Gisa sighs again, looking back out at the field. “Probably somewhere cool.”

I furrow my brow, finally realizing what she means. “Wait, you’re-” I think it over in my head before I say anything out loud.

She’s not upset about Tirana Osanos dying.

She feels excluded.

“Gisa, I-”

“She never does anything without me!” Gisa huffs, burying her face in her elbows again, somehow pulling her legs closer and looking even smaller. Her voice is barely audible around her limbs. “Now all she ever wants to do is hang out with  _ Maven _ .”

My mouth flops open and closed, not sure what to say.

“What’s so cool about him, anyway? He hadn’t even seen  _ one _ episode of Gossip Girl before we made him watch it yesterday. How lame is that? We’ve known him for, what, a week? And suddenly Mare wants to spend  _ all _ of her time with him? Like she’s not ditching people she’s known for almost her whole life!? For a stranger!?”

I gulp. “I think Maven’s alright… He’s not mean or anything, so-”

Gisa looks up at me, her eyes narrowed into a deathly glare. “He’s the reason we were at that stupid party, Kilorn.”

_ Oh, that makes sense, then. _

She sighs again, shrugging her shoulders a little and returning her face to her legs. “He made us sneak out and go there. We almost died and it’s his fault.” I try to say something but she keeps rambling. “God, and Mare is just… the  _ worst _ right now. First, she’s literally all over Cal, right?”

My heart stops, wondering what my boyfriend has to do with this.

“And then, she invites Maven over to our house literally  _ one  _ time and now she’s all over him! Pick a man and stick with it! She kissed Cal, she kissed you, and now, she’ll kiss Maven.” She looks up again, flailing her arms out at the field. “Who’s next, Ptolemus Samos?”

I laugh, holding my sides a little. “Gisa, I don’t think Mare’s like that.”

“Really? So she didn’t string you and Cal along on Saturday night?” I don’t answer, and she sighs again, proving her point. “Exactly. I would never do that to anyone, and I don’t know why Mare would.” She stares at the field over her arms, her eyes fixated on the little tool shed.

I scoot a little closer to her, placing my hand on her arm. “I have to tell you something.”

She whips her head towards me, still angry and hurt. “What?”

Letting out a breath, I prepare myself for the words I haven’t said to anyone other than my boyfriend. “Cal and I are dating.”

Gisa snorts, turning away from me again. I wait, and she processes that I’m not joking. She turns back to me. “Seriously?” I nod. “Kilorn! That’s… when?”

I shrug. “We hooked up on Saturday, and went on a real date last night.”

She blinks, sitting upright and laying out her legs in front of her. She whistles low in her throat. “Damn. So, when you guys disappeared, and Maven was joking that you were probably making out you were-”

“Yeah, we actually were.”

She laughs then, smiling at me. “That’s… that’s great, Kilorn. Is he… good to you? Like, am I gonna have to…” She pounds her right fist into her left hand, nodding at me seriously. I laugh then, shoving her hands away. “I mean it! I’ll rough him up if he hurts you.”

“He won’t, trust me. Cal’s too sweet.”

Gisa smiles again, leaning back against the tree. “Does Mare know?”

“No.”

“Figures. She’d know if she would, like, hop off of Maven’s dick for five seconds.”

I shove her, and she cackles, her hair bouncing around her features. “He has a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, well…” She snorts in between words, wiping her eyes. “So does Cal. Didn’t stop Mare from lickin’ the back of his throat.” I frown, and her laughing stops. “I’m joking, Kilorn, Jesus Christ.” She sighs again, leaning her head on my shoulder. “Tell me about it.”

“About what?”

“What it’s like to have a boyfriend.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “I’ve never dated anyone before. Is it nice?”

I think about last night, before all the guns and the dying. “It’s wonderful.”

“Is he romantic?”

“Extremely. He brought roses for me this morning.”

Gisa squeals, patting my leg gently. “Ahhh! I already ship you guys so much! He’s so soft!” She pauses, thinking. “Actually, you might have to introduce me to him. I really haven’t said anything to him since Sunday.”

“Sure.” I say, looking down at my phone as it buzzes, and for a second, I think it’s Cal. It’s Mare,   _ finally _ .

“Is that her?” Gisa sits up again, grabbing my phone from me. “I wanna talk to her.” 

I snatch it back, shoving her off of me when she tries to grab it again. “No, you’ll say something about Maven’s dick.”

She laughs, backing off for long enough for me to read the text.

_ Needed time to think. Will talk to you guys later. _

Frowning, I lock the phone again, shoving it into my backpack. Gisa turns to me. “What’d she want?” 

“She said we’ll talk later.”

Gisa huffs. “I don’t want to talk to her.”

“Then I’ll do the talking.”

“Are you going to tell her?” I look down at her, confused. “About you and Cal, I mean. She likes you both, right?”

I sigh. “Well, according to you, she likes Maven now. I don’t think she’ll care.”

“She might, if her best friend is dating someone and she doesn’t know about it.”

Glaring at her, I turn, pushing a lunch tray towards her. “I have to ask Cal first.” Gisa lets out a small  _ awwwww _ but I wave her off. “I told him I wanted to tell you, but I think it’s supposed to stay a secret. He has to maintain the… what did he call it… social pyramid?”

She smiles up at me, putting a french fry into her mouth. “Would he have brought you roses if he wanted to keep it a secret?”

I turn to look at the school, knowing the bouquet is hidden safely in my locker. Maybe he  _ does _ want to tell people.

Forget Mare.

_ I have to talk to Cal. _


	18. The Second Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Kilorn make plans to tell Mare their secret.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow wow wow this chapter is the gayest yet  
> congratulations, you now get to read this
> 
> you're welcome in advance

 

I bounce anxiously on the balls of my feet, watching Kilorn stand from the hill and head in my direction.

“What are you doing?” Oliver asks from behind me. I wave him off, keeping my gaze on my boyfriend.

When Kilorn texted me, saying he wanted to talk, I became extremely nervous. I’m not really sure what he wants to say. We only went on one date, and I’m reminded that I don’t know him well enough to decipher the tone of his texts. Part of me thinks it’s not anything serious, but the rest of me thinks he’s angry with me.

_ Was it the flowers? Were they too much? Is this too weird? _

“Cal.” 

I whip around, glaring at Oliver. “What?”

My tone is angrier than I expected it to be, and he stammers for a second before answering. “I-” He shakes his head. “What are you doing?” 

As before, I try to ignore him, leaning against the table nonchalantly. I hope Kilorn sees and thinks I look cool.

“He’s probably waiting for  _ Barrow _ .” Ptolemus drawls, finally glancing up at me from his seat at the table. Wren perches in his lap, and keeps her arms wrapped around his neck as he speaks. They’re not making out anymore, but they’re still... _ cuddling. _

The thought of PDA disgusted me once. Just last week I yelled at Ptolemus because I was so tired of  _ hearing _ him kiss Wren all the time. Now, I think I understand it. I watch Wren as she clings to her boyfriend, seemingly sad at the loss of contact. I know how she feels now. All I want to do is hold and kiss Kilorn.

I turn back to the hill, ignoring Ptolemus’s accusation and focusing on Kilorn, as he and Gisa descend the hill.  _ Maven and Mare aren’t with them today. Weird. _ He doesn’t look angry, which is good. I smile at them as they approach, hearing the bell ring to signal the end of lunch.

“Hey,” I say as they finally close the distance between us. Behind me, I hear Ptolemus scoff and go back to kissing Wren. Oliver groans. “Where’s-”

“They’re skipping.” Gisa interrupts me, her hands balled into tiny fists. Her face is flushed red in anger, and I kind of want to ask her if she’s okay. I don’t, because I don’t know if I’m on that level with Gisa yet. Of everyone in their little group, I know her the least.

Kilorn smiles. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah.”

He takes my arm, pulling me a few feet away from everyone. “What’s up?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. “Everything okay?” Kilorn sighs, folding his arms.  _ Oh no, this is about the flowers. _

“I,” He begins, looking up at me with wide, green eyes. “I told Gisa.” He glances towards the table, making sure that none of my friends are listening. Sonya gathers her things for class, and Oliver throws pencils at Ptolemus and Wren and cackles at them when they get angry. “I think we need to tell Mare.”

I nod. “Yeah, we do. She deserves to know more than anyone, probably.”

He nods too, thinking. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you want to?” I blink at him, confused. “I mean… tell people.”

I rub the back of my neck. “People as in…”

“Like, the people here.” He gestures to the area around us, as the students make their way down from the field towards the school to get to class. There are a lot of people around us now, and Kilorn lowers his voice so I have to bend down to hear him. “Will that hurt your reputation?”

My eyes widen. “What? Why would that-” I think for a second, looking back at Ptolemus and Wren.  _ That’s _ what I want. I want to be able to kiss Kilorn and boop his nose and tell him how pretty he looks. I want to bring him flowers and hold his hand in public and threaten to beat people up if they so much as look at him the wrong way. 

“No.” I say finally, with absolute certainty. I look around at the hundreds of kids closing in around the platform, and I take Kilorn’s hand. 

_ Fuck it. _

I pull him towards my friends, stepping onto the bench and hopping up on top of the table. It takes some force, but I manage to pull Kilorn up there with me. Ptolemus flicks my ankle. “What the hell are you doing?”

Clearing my throat, I project my voice beyond the platform. “Can I get everyone’s attention, please?” It doesn’t work at first, so I call again, louder this time. It doesn’t take long for kids to realize who I am and stop to watch. The crowd around the table thickens, forcing Gisa to step closer to us. 

The second bell rings. Almost the whole school is standing out here, waiting for me to speak instead of going to their classes. All of the eyes on me make me a bit nervous, but it’s too late to go back now.

“Uh… hi!” A few people laugh, a few say hi back. “My name is Cal Calore.” 

“We know!” Someone calls out, earning a wave of laughter. Who am I kidding, I’m the quarterback. Of course they know who I am.

“This,” I pat Kilorn on the shoulder, and I can finally feel him shaking. “Is Kilorn Warren.”

“Fish boy!” Another voice cries, gaining even more laughter than the first outburst. 

“Cal…” Kilorn warns, looking at me in fear.

I sigh, continuing. “If I ever hear any one of you call him that in a mean way again, I’ll knock your fucking teeth out. Got it?”

The snickering quiets.

No one makes a sound.

I smirk.

“Now, I have an announcement to make. How many of you were at my party this weekend?” The crowd cheers, and my smile grows as they quiet down. “Well, the morning after my party, I had a realization. I, Cal Calore-” I pause for dramatic effect. “Am bisexual.”

A lot of murmurs, a few shouts of  _ nice  _ and  _ good for you _ . It gives me the strength to continue. I turn to Kilorn, who still looks at me with wide eyes. For a split second, it looks like he wants to murder me for embarrassing him like this, but I don’t care.

I don’t care how embarrassing or cliche this is. I want them to know.

I grab Kilorn’s hips, and I can hear him gasp in shock as I turn, using all of my strength to dip him as romantically and extravagantly as possible. There’s no sound besides my heavy breathing. Kilorn blinks up at me, his cheeks bright red.

Then, I kiss him.

On the mouth.

Everyone screams.

Not in anger, or terror.

It’s joy.

They’re happy for us.

I break the kiss, looking down at Kilorn who stares at me in awe, his jaw hanging open as I straighten, allowing him to stand upright. I turn out towards the crowd, my own face heating up as I see so many friendly and supportive faces, applauding and smiling. It’s overwhelming. Somewhere amongst the wave of noise I hear a few teachers yelling at kids to get to class.

I yell over all of them.

“Kilorn Warren is my boyfriend, and I am the luckiest man in the whole world!”

The cheering grows louder, drowning out the sound of my thudding heart. I turn to Kilorn, a grin on my face. He blinks at me, his mouth still open. Slowly, his state of awe morphs into happiness, and he quickly grabs either side of my face, pulling me down to kiss me again.

I can hear teachers doling out detentions left and right, practically screaming to get the kids to stop cheering.

Kilorn pulls away from me as kids start to hustle to class, bumping into each other and yelling out words of encouragement to us. I take Kilorn’s hand, helping him down from the table. I put my arm around his shoulder when we’re on the ground, looking around at my friends for approval. Sonya and Wren nod, Oliver gives us a thumbs up. Upon looking to Ptolemus, I falter, wondering what’s wrong.

His hands are pressed together in front of his mouth, his eyes wide and teary.

Before I can protest, he throws his arms around both of us and sobs into my shoulder.

“This… this is the greatest news of my entire life.” Ptolemus steps back, looking at both of us through watery, slanted eyes. “This is adorable. I’m really happy for you, Cal.” He turns to Kilorn. This is the part I was the most worried about.

Ptolemus is my best friend, and I know how much he hates Kilorn. For three years he’s bullied him, shoving him into lockers and writing mean things about him on Facebook. 

Now, he smiles. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers, smiling at Kilorn softly. “For everything. I hope… I hope you can forgive me for being such a dick. I just… I get so jealous when anyone goes near Wren, and I always needed some sort of outlet for my own anger.

“But…” He looks between the two of us, tears finally streaming down his cheeks. “If you… if you make my Cal this happy, then you’re alright with me.” He smiles wide. “How can I make things okay between us?”

Kilorn stammers, utterly shocked. “Um… I don’t know…”

I place a hand on Ptolemus’s shoulder, smiling at him. “Let’s just start with trying to be friends. I think if you guys can hang out a bit, get to know each other, things will fix themselves, right?” I look between the two of them. They nod. I turn back to Ptolemus.  “Thank you.”

He still smiles, hugging me again. “I love you, man. I will literally always support you.” He turns to Gisa. “You have a name?”

She blinks, shifting awkwardly. “Uh… Gisa.”

“I’m sorry for kicking your brother’s ass.” Ptolemus sighs, stepping towards her. “You seem like the fangirl type.” She nods slightly, and he elbows her shoulder, gesturing to us. “They need a ship name.”

Gisa squeals, and I frown, covering my ears. “A what?”

“A ship name! It’s like, a term for your relationship. A combination of your names that we can use when we talk about how freaking adorable you two are.” Gisa giggles, scratching her chin to think intensely. Then, she gasps. “Calorn!”  
Ptolemus gasps, too. “It’s perfect! I ship you guys so much!”

I raise an eyebrow at my boyfriend. “Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?”

He sighs. “Unfortunately.”

“Alright, that's enough of that.”

We all look up, startled, as Mr. Arven approaches us, a scowl creasing his features. “Do you have any idea how late you all are for class?” He turns to me and Kilorn. “You caused quite the scene, here, Mr. Calore. Detention. Both of you.” He turns away, stomping back to the school. “Now, get to class!”

My friends groan, finishing gathering their things and heading into the school. Ptolemus and Gisa continue to giggle as they follow behind. Soon, Kilorn and I are the only students left on the platform.

I sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for us to get detention.”

He just chuckles, grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling me in for another kiss.

“Trust me, this was worth it.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kilorn taps his fingers against the desk, his eyes still on the clock.

We’ve been in detention for an hour, and he’s still tense.

Not that I have any right to complain, but if anyone should be upset about being here, it’s me. I’m missing chess club.

My eyes glance over to the other students in the room, and most smile back at me. They all got detention for staying behind to hear my announcement, and if any of them are upset about it, they certainly don’t seem like it.

The only two that don’t smile, sit in the back corner of the room, laughing at something on the screen of a smartphone.

Mare and my brother share earbuds, giggling quietly and whispering to each other. It’s weird. They’re here because they skipped the whole day, but got caught when they returned for their stuff. Idiots.

Kilorn glances at me, then at Mare as the teacher in front of us stands. He moves to unlock the door, and steps back as most of the kids practically fly out of the room. Detention is over, and from Kilorn’s glance, I know what this means. We have to tell her. Now.

I grab my bag, standing with my boyfriend and waiting for Mare and Maven to walk over to us before exiting the room.

Maven sighs. “What’cha in for, Bro-Bro?”

I shrug. “We were late to fifth.”

Kilorn nudges me, and I slow to a stop, all four of us standing in the hallway before exiting the building to go home. Maven sighs. “What is it?”

I nod to Kilorn and he places his hand on Mare’s shoulder. “We have to tell you something.”

Maven whistles low in his throat, then keeps walking, waving at us as he goes. “I already know. I’ll be at the car. See you tomorrow, Mare!”

Kilorn waits, listening to the sound of Maven’s boots on the marble floors. The doors open and shut, and he sighs. “What’s this about?” Mare’s voice is innocent, albeit a bit annoyed. She wants to go home.

He glances between us again, then folds his arms. “We’re dating.”

“You’re dating who?”

“Cal.”

I wave.

“Oh.” She blinks, looking between the two of us. “I figured.”

Kilorn stutters. “You did?”

She nods. “Look, I have to get home. See you guys later?” Mare turns, walking briskly down the hallway and out of the school.

Kilorn shakes his head. “That was weird.”

I laugh a little. “Well, at least she wasn’t mad, right?” He glares at me, and I shrug again. “It’ll be fine, Babe, don’t worry.” He blinks, wide-eyed, and I frown. “What?”

“Did… did you just call me Babe?”

“Mhmm.” My anxiety kicks in, regretting my choice of words. “Should I… not have? Is it too early to-”

“No! It’s fine!” He smiles, then turns to go find his locker. “It’s just… cute. I need to get my flowers.”

My heart skips a beat.

He turns back at me, winking. “Don’t worry about it,  _ Babe _ .”

I quickly forget about Mare’s lack of reaction as I am overwhelmed with the desire to faint. Kilorn Warren just called me Babe.  _ Oh my God, he’s so wonderful. _

Kilorn retrieves the roses, and we walk out of the school together. Pride floods my chest as I feel how warm his hand is. We stop at the foot of the stairs, both grinning like children. “I’ll uh.. I’ll text you?”

He nods, leaning up to kiss me before heading off down the sidewalk to catch up with Mare. I walk to my car while still grinning, kicking up rocks as I pass. My nostrils fill with smoke as I approach my brother, leaned against the car with his arms folded. 

He frowns.

“What?” I ask.

He shrugs, flicking his cigarette into the grass. “Let’s just go home.”

“Wait a second,” He huffs, but I continue. “Where did you go today?”

“Why does it matter?”

“You skipped school. You got detention.” I fold my arms, looking down at him. “You have to tell me things, Mavey. I’m your big brother.”

Maven sneers, rolling his eyes. “I don’t have to tell you anything, actually.” He pokes my chest with his finger. “You were in detention, too. What are you going to do, tell my  _ mom? _ "

I consider it, but decide to let it go, reaching into my pocket to find my keys.

We ride home in silence, and I wonder what’s gotten into him lately.


	19. The Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks have passed since Tirana Osanos's death, and Mare and Maven think about the gravity of their current situation.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi sorry   
> wish there was a good excuse for the wait but i'm just fucking lazy  
> *shrug emoji*

_ There’s only one race. The human race- _

_ What about Nascar!? _

I cackle loudly at the vine I’ve replayed for the past minute, the short video never ceasing to be funny to me. This whole week, Maven has been educating me in what he refers to as ‘meme speak’, and whenever he isn’t around I have to watch twenty minute vine compilations on YouTube. At first I thought it was lame, but now, I understand. 

And I can’t stop laughing about Nascar.

_ Also, speaking of Maven, he’s been gone for a long time, hasn’t he? _

I press pause on my phone’s screen, then sit upright in the bed, looking around at the rest of Maven’s room. I glance at the small clock on his nightstand. It’s noon. We’re skipping school for the fifth day in a row now, and the time isn’t what concerns me. Maven went downstairs to make sandwiches and I’m starting to get hangry.  _ What is taking him so long? _

Fine, if he wants to take five million years on my food, he deserves to get pranked.

I fling myself out of his bed, pressing my toes into the carpet and quickly moving to his closet. Pulling the doors open, I step inside, looking around at the small room filled with clothes and wondering just how to get him. Obviously, I won’t hurt him with this prank, but I’m still not really sure what to do. He needs….  _ Aha _ .

I yank open the top drawer to the small dresser, plunging my hands into the mass collection of socks. Maven is crazy about socks, and is always wearing some crazy pair. He has socks with watermelons, Spongebob, cacti, almost any sort of sock I have ever seen in my life, Maven has. He and Thomas bought each other socks with pot leaves on them once. Sometimes they coordinate so they can match.  _ Dorks. _

Moving quickly, I pull the socks out of their little balls, then fold them back. Only this time, I make sure that none of the socks match.  _ This will show him not to mess with me when I am very obviously starving. _

I shut the drawer and run from the closet, throwing myself back into the bed, and pulling the covers back up over my chest and pressing play on my vine video. The door to Maven’s room opens, and he struggles to balance plates and bottles amongst his two arms as he enters, looking at me quizzically. I smile at him, showing teeth and trying to slow my heart rate. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Maven says, his voice muffled by the bag of chips he holds between his teeth. He crosses the floor, and I greedily take one of the plates from him and scoot to the other side of the bed, making room for him under the blankets. He sprawls the rest of the food out in front of us, and as he settles beside me, I realize why he was taking so long: he was raiding his dad’s liquor cabinet.

At Cal’s party two weeks ago, he gave speeches about how alcohol was bad.

Lately, we’ve been skipping school to get shit faced.

_ Ironic? Yes. Do I care about irony? Not really. _

I bite into my sandwich as Maven reaches over to pause the video. “So,” he begins, pulling open the bag of chips and starting to crunch on the potatoes. “Tirana’s funeral is this weekend.”

“What?” My eyes practically bulge out of my head.

Maven swallows the chips, then reaches into his nightstand to grab a bottle opener. “I saw it on Facebook. Her parents have invited the whole 11th grade class.”

I groan. “We’re not going to that.”

“I figured as much.”

He sits upright, then reaches for one of the bottles of wine. I look at him from around my sandwich. “How do you feel about all of this?”

Shrugging, Maven drives the corkscrew end of the opener into the cork. “I don’t know. I’m kind of over it at this point.” I raise an eyebrow and he continues, angling the bottle away from the bed in case he spills the liquor. “I mean, I never really liked Tirana, you know? Why should it matter that she’s dead? That sounds mean but… it’s the truth.”

I nod, considering. “Yeah, I guess I understand that. I only met her at the park, so it shouldn’t matter… right?” We eat in silence for a few minutes, and I finish my sandwich as Maven hands me the wine bottle. I drink from the bottle’s throat, watching as he finishes his own sandwich, staring at a wall. I pass it back to him and watch as he presses the glass to his lips. “Let’s change the subject.” He nods. “How’s Thomas?”

Maven sighs, and throws his head back to drink the wine more smoothly. I purse my lips, then move to put our plates and trash on the floor. I move the other bottles too, then clap my hands to turn the lights off. I lay back, waiting for Maven to join me. When he settles against the pillow, still clutching the now almost empty bottle, I nudge him with my elbow. “What’s wrong?”

“The truth?”

“Mhmm.”

Sighing again, Maven stares up at the ceiling. “We keep fighting.”

My eyes widen again, and I am hit with actual surprise. Maven and Thomas are always so happy and so close. I never would have guessed they had ever fought. Ever. Maybe this would explain what’s been up with Maven lately.

Since Tirana died, Maven’s been sad. He’s always sighing and on the off chance we actually did go to class, he wouldn’t talk to anyone besides me. Cal asked me if something was wrong yesterday morning, but I just figured Maven’s been weird because Kilorn is dating his brother, not that he’s been fighting with his own boyfriend. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Maven rolls his eyes, and I take the bottle from him, not wanting him to drink more before he tells me more. 

He doesn’t, so I have to push him. “Hey, you know you can talk to me, right? Like, I think we’re past the whole keeping secrets thing.” It’s true, I can’t really explain it, but hanging out with Maven is so… easy. Being around him and telling him things just makes me feel instantly better. He was there for me when I cried about Kilorn and Cal dating, and I want to be there for him, too.

Without looking at me, Maven finally speaks, lowering his voice to a whisper even though we are the only ones in the massive house. “You have to promise not to make fun of me or laugh or make this weird. I don’t want this to be weird.” 

I have no idea what he means, but I agree anyway. “Okay.”

“Okay,” He inhales and exhales slowly, debating what to say. “When Evangeline and Elane threatened to tell Thomas that I was cheating on him, I was really mad. Like, I couldn’t understand how anyone could do that to another person. When Thomas asked me if I  _ was _ I…”

He trails off, and I blink slowly, taken aback.  _ They actually did it _ ?

“I went to the two of them, yelling and demanding to know what their problem was with me and why they would ruin my life like this but they… they didn’t tell him. Elane deleted the pictures after walking away from us that day. They never really planned on doing it, they just wanted to stop fighting with me. Then, I started fighting with Thomas. I didn’t really know why he would ever think I would cheat on him. I love him, and he knows that, and I didn’t get it. But… now I do.”

Maven rolls over onto his side, facing me. I do the same, finding his teary blue eyes. “Thomas thinks I’m cheating on him with you. No matter what I say, he keeps getting angry, and it gets worse every time I skip to hang out with you. I don’t want to fight with him anymore, and I don’t know what to do to fix things between us.”

He stops, rubbing at his eyes and waiting for my response. “Maven, I-” I consider for a second, wondering why Thomas would think that, then I realize what Maven means. We skipped today to hang out here. In Maven’s bed.  _ Oh my god, I really am a homewrecker. _ “Okay,” I take a deep breath. “We’ll start going to class more. We… we can plan a romantic trip for you guys we can… I’ll stop hanging out with you if that’s what you nee-”

“No, Mare.” Maven sighs again, frowning. I can tell he’s really struggling to tell me the next part, but I’m still not sure why. Or why he made me promise not to laugh at him. “I don’t want to stop being around you. I… It’s weird, but I like hanging out with you. I’ve known you for, what, three weeks? Four? I don’t even know but it hasn’t been that long. It’s weird that I hang out with you this much and that instead of doing something cool or normal, we just lay in my fucking bed for six hours then go back to school. This is weird. We’re weird.

“At first, I would yell back at Thomas and get really angry that he would think something like that, but I stopped last week. I just… I’ve been letting him yell at me. I think… he’s right.”

“Wh-what?”

“I mean, ugh..” He runs a hand over his face, exasperated. “I understand, and I let him get angry because I… I  _ like _ you, Mare. It’s weird and confusing and I have a  _ boyfriend _ who is amazing and… We’ve been together for almost a year but I would rather spend time with you. You’re wonderful and nice and pretty and I am way more confused than I was when I figured out I was bisexual.”

He’s quiet again, and I sigh, still not really understanding. “You  _ like  _ me? Like… like..”

“Yes.” Maven’s voice is so low now that I have to lean in closer, our noses almost touching just so I can hear him. “I love Thomas, I really do. But being here with you right now just feels… right. I…” His blues eyes dart down, and I realize he’s looking at my lips. “I want to murder you for coming between us but... I also want to kiss you.”

I sit upright, rubbing my temples slowly. I hear Maven sigh again behind me, hitting his head against the headboard of the bed. “I made things weird.”

“Yeah, you did.” It’s my turn to be quiet, processing this information. I guess I should be weirded out or angry but, actually, I’m strangely happy. I’m glad that the confusion is mutual. “I like you, too, Maven.”

“Really?”

I nod, scratching my neck. “I… I like how it feels to lay next to you. Being around you is easy and I like hanging out with you way more than Kilorn or Cal or… anyone. You made me feel so much better after they told me about them and you’re always so nice to me but mean to my enemies and Evangeline and it’s so… endearing. Thomas is my friend, and I don’t want anything to happen to you two but…”

I turn back to look at him, leaned against the headboard and staring at me with wide eyes. The words fall from my mouth like vomit. “But I also want to be with you because you’re so cute and you smell really nice and your eyes are really pretty and your lips look so soft and-”

Maven moves towards me quickly, and for a split second I think we both expect to kiss right here, right now. Instead, we both sigh, and speak at the same time. “This is wrong.”

I quickly stand from the bed, untangling myself from the blankets and crossing to the door to find my shoes. I pull my boots on quickly, then grab my backpack. I turn, then jump to find Maven standing right next to me. “Um… I’m going to go back to school.”

Maven grabs my wrist, sending a shiver down my spine. “Mare.” I pull my arm away. “Let’s… let’s talk about this.”

He reaches for me again, but I back up, unfortunately backing right into a wall. “No. I can’t do this.  _ We _ can’t do this. You have a boyfriend, and I have to go.”

“Mare,”

“No.” 

“Mare, just talk to-”

He grabs my arm again and I slap him across the face, immediately raising my hands to cover my mouth in shock. “I-” Maven raises his own hand to his cheek, his mouth open and his eyes wild. “I’m so sorry.” He searches for words, but I talk over him, continuing to apologize. “I have to go.” 

I fling the door open and don’t look back as I run down the stairs and out of Maven’s house. I don’t stop running until I get back to the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAA YOU THOUGHT THE SORRY WAS FOR THE WAIT ON THE CHAPTER NO IT'S FOR THE MAREVEN HAHAHAHAAA
> 
> also why do i keep making maven get slapped  
> also how many convos can be had in mave's bed


	20. The Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilorn has a much needed talk with someone surprising: Ptolemus Samos.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look im writing again hahaa 
> 
>  
> 
> the E.D. joke is one i saw on tumblr lmao

Last year, I was very well acquainted with the inside of my locker. How it smelled, how it felt, how dark it was despite the light from the hallway trickling in. I had specific paths drawn out in my head. I knew the best routes to each one of my classes, the ways to go to avoid any sort of confrontation. I memorized Ptolemus Samos’s schedule so I could specifically avoid him. No matter what I did, he always came for me. 

Once, when I risked stepping out of the safe path to get some water from the drinking fountain, I made the mistake of letting my guard down. Someone smashed my face against the faucet. Mare and Gisa spent a lot of time trying to heal the open wound on my forehead. I didn’t even have to look up to know that it was Ptolemus.

He always hated me. I tried to apologize for asking out Wren once, a year after I did it, and he shoved my face in a toilet. Mr. Arven approached me once, telling me that Ptolemus was failing math, and he wondered if I could tutor him and get extra credit. I agreed, spoke with Ptolemus. We set up a time to meet in the library. When I got there, he never showed. I waited for a few hours and eventually gave up and went to place my things in my locker. 

The door to my locker had the words ‘Fish Boy’ written on it over and over and over again. I tried to wipe it off, let my guard down again. Ptolemus shoved me into the locker, trapping me in there with five dead trouts. No one found me until the next morning.

It’s really strange, thinking back on it. I never understood why he hated me so much. And, I guess, I still don’t understand it. What’s confusing is that, now, even though he tortured me for two years, he’s trying to be my friend.

Actively trying to be nice to me.

He wants me to like him.

He sits across from me now, his elbows on the table and his hands folded under his chin. He stares at me through angled dark eyes, watching me closely. The lights overhead gleam off of his perfect teeth as he grins. It’s weird and somehow scarier than watching him beat the shit out of Shade Barrow. It’s… unnerving.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, folding my arms. “What?”

Ptolemus invited me into the library after school. There’s no football practice on Tuesdays, and Cal has Chess Club, so he wanted to ‘talk.’ I really have no idea what he wants, or why he keeps staring at me. I was skeptical to come here, not wanting to repeat last time, but at least Chess Club meets in the library. Cal is only a few feet away from me.

“What?” I ask again, frowning.

He blinks, his chin never leaving his folded hands. “I just wanted to talk, Warren.”

_ Warren _ . He hasn’t called me Fish Boy since Cal and I came out to the whole school, but I don’t know if I like Warren.  _ Honestly, I preferred Fish Boy. This is weird.  _ “Talk about what?”

Ptolemus sighs, still blinking ever so slightly. “Let’s talk about you and Cal.”

“Okay…” I have no idea where he’s going with this.

“I don’t want to be…  _ that _ person, but someone has to.” He tilts his head to the side, watching me like I’m some sort of prey. “How are things going?”

I think for a moment, remembering my past with this man and trying to figure out what game he’s playing. He’s too mean for this to be real interest. “Things are… good. We’re good.” He nods, finally lifting his chin and leaning back in his chair, keeping  his elbows on the table. 

“How’s the sex?”

My face flushes bright red, and he laughs a little. “Joking, Warren. Joking. It’s Cal. I know it’s amazing.” He’s not wrong, but I still don’t respond. He sighs again, shaking his head. “I need you to know that I support Calorn one hundred percent.”

“I know.”

He thinks for a second before moving his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair to kicks his legs up onto the table, folding one over the other nonchalantly. “But, just because I support you, doesn’t mean I don’t have my eye on you.”

“Wh-what?”

“If anything happens to my Cal, I’ll cut your balls off, Warren. Got it?”

_ There’s the Ptolemus I’m used to. _

I nod, not really sure how to respond to the open threat. He smiles again, shutting his eyes and exhaling deeply. “It’s great, right?”

And I’m still confused. “What is?”

“Dating!” Ptolemus shifts, reaching into the front pocket  of his jeans to fish out his cell phone. He taps on the screen a few times before sliding the phone across the table towards me. I shoot him a look before picking it up slowly, then look down at the screen, surprised to find a picture of Ptolemus and Wren. I scroll left a few times, seeing Wren’s selfies that he has saved and secret pictures he took of her while she’s reading, laughing, or sleeping. It’s… oddly sweet coming from a bully.

I look up at him, only to find him still grinning. His eyes travel someplace far away, thinking about Wren, no doubt. “Cute, right? I love her so much.” He sighs when I pass the phone back to him. “I know we had our differences in the past, Warren, but,”

_ Differences isn’t the word I would use, but whatever. _

“I’ve seen how good you are to Cal. He’s been so happy these past few weeks, Man. He’s like, a different person. He’s focused and he’s always smiling and, God, you should hear him when he talks about you.” 

My eyes widen. “He… he talks about me?”

Ptolemus nods. “Uh, yeah! All the time. It’s always ‘ _ My boyfriend said this’  _ or ‘ _ My boyfriend did that _ .’ He’s so soft for you, Warren. Like, I don’t know you that well, but you must be really amazing to make someone like Cal this fuckin’ whipped.”

I smile wide, my cheeks heating up again. This time, it’s not because I’m embarrassed. “Cal’s pretty amazing himself. He’s really sweet and  _ so  _ considerate of how I feel and-” 

“Hot, right?”

Frowning, I shoot Ptolemus another glare. He laughs, and I’m surprised to find myself laughing with him. “Yeah, he is. Cal is  _ really _ hot.”

Still chuckling, Ptolemus slides his phone back to me, this time, the screen is set on Ptolemus’s contacts. I raise an eyebrow, and he leans forward a little. “We have to hang out sometime. Like, outside of here and away from Cal.”

“Why?”

“So I can get to know my best friend’s boyfriend.” I nod, and begin creating a contact for myself. “And, properly apologize for all the shit I’ve done to you?”

I look up at him, smiling a little.  _ Maybe people really can change. _ “That sounds nice. Maybe we can… I don’t know… me and Cal, you and Wren… Mini-Golf?”

Ptolemus’s face lights up, and he swings his legs down from the table to lean forward, his grin wide. “A double date!?!” I nod. “Hell yes! Oh my God, Eve never double dates with me! This will be so fun!” He stands, clapping me on the shoulder. “I look forward to it, Warren.”

“It’s Kilor-” Ptolemus swings his bag over his shoulder and shoves his phone in his pocket before I can finish correcting him on my name. I watch as he stalks out of the library, pausing to high-five a few students as he passes. 

I pull out my own phone, sending a quick text to Mare before turning away from the library’s entrance, my eyes landing on Archeon High’s glorious Chess Club.

Mr. Jacos sits on the floor, his legs folded and his nose in a book. Cal and Maven stand around a small chess board, yelling at each other quietly and moving pieces quickly.

_ I don’t have the heart to tell Cal that you can’t have a club with only two people. He likes chess too much. Plus, I like seeing him get really into things. It’s cute. _

“Hey.” 

Startled, I practically fall from my seat before looking up to see someone I have never met before, standing in front of me by where Ptolemus once sat. “You’re Kilorn Warren, right?”

I blink, still shaken from the scare. “Uh, yes?”

“Hi. Cantos Carros.” He reaches his hand out to me, and I shake it lightly. 

“Did…” I begin, setting my phone face down on the table. “Did you need something from me, or?”

He nods. “You’re gay, right?”

Blinking again, I realize that I haven’t really thought about that part yet. “Sort of?”

“Then, here. This is for you.” He sets a piece of paper down on the table, then turns quickly on his heel, sauntering from the library and shutting the door behind him. 

A hand on my shoulder makes me scream, and I’m met with several shushes from students and the librarian sitting at the desk. Cal stifles his laughter, pulling the chair on my right out from under the table to sit next to me. I smack his arm and he laughs a little louder, causing some more shushing.

I fold my arms, pouting. “That wasn’t funny.”

He leans over to kiss my cheek, still giggling. “Sorry.” 

I smile at him, leaning my head against his shoulder once I’ve checked to see that Maven has already left the library. “Did you talk to him?”

Cal shrugs, careful not to knock me off of his shoulder. Under the table, his hand finds mine, entwining our fingers together. “Sort of. Apparently he and Mare had some kind of fight. He didn’t want to talk about it.”

I sigh, checking my phone with my free hand. “Yeah, she won’t talk to me, either. Gisa’s going to try later tonight.” I blink up at him, looking at his jawline. “”You don’t think they’re mad at us, do you?”

He shakes his head. “No. Maven is very supportive. And, I talked to Mare last week, she said we’re cool.”

“Well, she didn’t say that  _ we _ were cool. I wish she would just talk to me.” I put my phone back on the table, shutting my eyes and nuzzling closer into Cal’s neck.

“Hey, what did Cantos want?”

“Huh?”

“Cantos Carros? He was just over here.”

“Oh, right.” I sit up, a bit sad to be pulled away from the warmth of Cal’s neck to reach across the table, grabbing the piece of paper. I turn it over, holding it out for Cal to see. We both tilt our heads to the side, confused.

It’s just a picture.

Of Ellen Degeneres.

“What-” Cal stammers, staring at the picture. “Why did he give you that?”

“I don’t care.” I turn the picture back over, laying it face down on the table and returning to my place at Cal’s neck. He leans his cheek against the top of my head, sighing and shutting his eyes, too.

I don’t know what the fuck that was about, but maybe that was some sort of sign.

I need to actually think about things. When Mare kissed me, I didn’t feel anything. When Cal kisses me my heart swells.

Cal’s bisexual.

Am I gay?


	21. The Leftovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Kilorn are interrupted by a surprise visitor
> 
>  
> 
> POV Cal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first, sorry for the wait (if ya follow me on tumblr then you know i've recently become engulfed in detroit: become human and i'm sorry for forgetting about this fic for a few weeks but I'M BACK BABY)
> 
> second, sorry for the length of this chapter (it was longer but i decided to save that for the next cal chapter, so this one is kind short? idk)
> 
> alternative titles for this chapter:  
> cal is FUCKING WHIPPED  
> gay filler  
> wow another vine reference

Kilorn’s hands are soft against my bare chest, running absentmindedly over my flesh. He breathes heavily, smiling against my lips as he tries to calm his panting. I move from his lips to his cheek, planting several small kisses over his face, laughing through my own heavy breathing as his face turns a bright shade of red.

Running one of my hands over his back, I use the other to brush a lock of his tawny hair away from his sweat covered forehead. I stop kissing to look at him, his green eyes meeting mine. He smiles down at me, making my heart fill with an overwhelming amount of happiness. It's almost… alarming to think that I have truly never felt this happy before.

Ironic, considering where we were a few hours ago.

Tirana Osanos’s funeral was a quiet affair, very respectful, nothing too flashy. I still remember it vividly. Kilorn and I watched other students from our school cry silent tears, not wanting to cause a scene. Even stone cold Evangeline shed a single tear, clinging tight to her brother, who looked at us with a sad smile.

Despite the weight of the situation, I never really knew Tirana. She was a horrible gossip, and the only time I ever talked to her was when she asked why I told people she was a liar. Maybe.. I shouldn’t have called her a liar. Part of me wishes that she hadn’t died knowing that I spoke poorly of her. 

The rest of me blinks that wish away, shrugging my shoulders to ignore any sort of remorse. One thing my father always tells me is that when it comes to death, never have any regrets. I am the only person to be held accountable for my actions, even if those actions hurt other people, I should never blame anyone else for something I’ve done. I should never wish to change the past, because I can’t.

I can’t take back calling Tirana a liar. Hopefully, in death, she forgot the things I said.

I turn my focus back on my boyfriend, who continues to smile down at me from his place in my lap, moving his forearms over each of my shoulders to wrap his arms around my neck. Kilorn pulls me forward off of the couch, and I allow myself to lean into him. “What are you thinking about?” He asks, placing a soft peck on the tip of my nose.

Finding no reason to lie, I opt for the truth. “Tirana Osanos.”

Kilorn sighs. “I figured as much. I keep thinking about her, too.” He pauses, his eyes going distant as if he’s trying to change the subject. To my surprise, he does change the subject. At least… he sort of does. “Why do you think Maven and Mare didn’t come? Gisa was there.”

Then, it’s my turn to sigh. My hands find Kilorn’s hips again. “I don’t know. Neither of them really said anything at school yesterday.” Though Mare and my brother have started attending school again, they don’t speak. At all. To anyone. Not to us and not to each other. Even in chess club, Maven was deathly silent. At dinner last night, Dad tried to ask him what was wrong and he just stormed to his room. 

He didn’t come down for breakfast this morning, and he didn’t come to say goodbye to Dad and Elara when they left for their business trip. I knocked on his door to see if he was going to the funeral but it was locked and he didn’t answer.

I glance up at the ceiling, knowing that he’s still up there, brooding about something he won’t tell me. Kilorn’s hand finds my cheek, comforting me a little. “I-”

We both jump as a chime rings throughout the house, signalling that there’s someone at the door. We glance at each other before Kilorn scrambles out of my lap, quickly looking for our shirts. I struggle to get my pants back on as he hands me my button down, and I throw it on, quickly buttoning the buttons as I cross to the front door.

I panic as the doorbell rings again, hoping that it’s not Dad or Elara.  _ They can’t be back this early. They can’t be. _ I turn quickly back to the living room, forcing myself not to smile at the sight of Kilorn falling over the back of the couch, his pants only pulled up to his knees. He looks to me and I wave him away, not wanting my Dad to find out that I’ve been sleeping with a  _ man _ . Kilorn pulls his pants up the rest of the way and runs out of sight.

Inhaling, I open the door slowly, smiling wide. “Hey-” I exhale as I realize who it is, running a hand through my messy hair, and allowing him to step inside. I shut the door, walking back into the living room. “Kilorn? It’s okay, it’s just Thomas.”

A closet door opens and Kilorn tumbles out, landing face first against the marble floor. He waves, but stays like that for a while. I turn to Thomas, who rings his hands anxiously. “Is Maven here?”

I nod to the stairs. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Thanks,” He turns, trotting up the staircase and disappearing from my sight.

I look down at my feet, seeing my disheveled lump of a boyfriend still face down and groaning. “What are you doing?”

“Dying, hopefully.” I laugh loudly, reaching down to help him. He sighs, tilting his head from side to side as he walks away from me and into the kitchen. “I’m hungry,” he calls over his shoulder, not looking back at me.

Picking up his shirt from the floor, I follow behind him, admiring the view. He catches me staring, and picks up an orange from the bowl on the kitchen counter to toss at me. I catch it, raising an eyebrow and tossing it back. Kilorn ducks, letting the orange squash against the wall by the refrigerator and fall to the floor.

Kilorn snorts, then snatches his shirt from my hands. He reaches the fridge, grabbing the handle to open it but stopping as I grab his waist, pulling him towards me. I lean against the counter opposite the fridge, pulling Kilorn closer until he’s completely pressed against me.

He groans as I press small kisses against his neck. “Cal, I’m hungry…”

“Too bad.” Kilorn uses his shirt to bat me away from him, but it doesn’t work. He stays, stuck to me, enduring the embarrassment flushing his cheeks as I continue to kiss him.

Laughing, he drops the shirt to the floor next to the orange. “You’re ridiculous.” I release him, gesturing openly to the fridge. “Cal,” he starts, unable to finish his sentence when I let my eyebrows droop, trying to convey the look of a sad puppy. Kilorn sighs, folding his arms. “God, how are you  _ this _ cute?”

I shrug, batting my eyelashes. “Maybe it’s my jawline.” Kilorn laughs again, throwing his head back. I take a moment to admire how beautiful he is: the curve of his neck, the small freckles dotting his nose, the carefree slump of his shoulders.

Truthfully, I don’t really understand why I’m so… infatuated with him. Well, obviously it’s because he’s gorgeous, but… these past few weeks have been the best weeks of my entire life. I can’t even remember anything before my party. Everything seems incredibly dull now. Everything without Kilorn doesn’t interest me.

I continue to look at him, getting lost in his eyes and feeling a soft smile tug on my lips. I can’t explain what’s wrong with me, or why I feel this way. Everything is just so easy with Kilorn. Being around him feels so normal and so right, it makes me feel incredibly stupid for not realizing how amazing he is before my party. I wasted so much time. Three years I’ve known him and not once did I ever think I’d feel this way about him. I wish I had. Then, I would have been able to feel this happy for a really long time.

I never want to stop feeling like this.

It’s way too early to think this, but...

Maybe it’s love.

I don’t have time to think about it any longer as Kilorn places both of his hands on either side of my face. “You okay?” I nod, kissing him on the mouth so I don’t have to admit to thinking something so mushy.

We both look up as the front door slams, startling us a little. We exchange glances, and Kilorn pulls his shirt over his head as my brother stalks into the kitchen, his black clothing making him look like a shadow drifting along the white marble. 

“Hey,” I say, waving at him.

Shrugging, Maven turns to the cabinets above the stove, standing on his toes to retrieve a bottle of wine. Kilorn glances at me as Maven moves to the counter, hoisting himself onto it and struggling to open the liquor.

“Uh… Mavey?” He looks up at me, an icy glare meeting my furrowed brow. “Is… is everything okay?”

He shrugs again, finally popping the cork off of the bottle. “Nope.”

Kilorn places a hand on my shoulder, but addresses my brother. “You don’t drink.”

Maven holds unwavering eye contact with him, not blinking as he raises the bottle to his lips and drinks its contents greedily.

Mouth agape, Kilorn goes to say something, but I place my hand over his own. “Maven, you…” Sighing, I try to find the right words. “You haven’t said anything in like, a week.”

“Meh.” 

I frown. “What’s going on with you? And who slammed the door? Was that Thomas?” He shrugs again, and I know he’s not going to tell me. I shake my head at Kilorn, trying to tell him to drop it. I know my brother, and I know that when he gets moody like this, it’s better to just leave him alone.

Kilorn sighs, turning his attention back to the fridge, he opens it, searching for what can only be the food he brought home from Olive Garden last night. Something about not wanting to keep them at the Barrow’s house. He looks out from around the door. “Who ate my leftovers?”

“I don’t know,” Maven hops off the counter, bottle in hand. “Who ate my brother’s ass?”

I fall backwards into the counter, one hand grasping the marble and the other smacking my chest in utter shock. My mouth hangs open, an ungodly sound escaping my lips instead of words, my brain completely unable to process what came out of my brother’s mouth.

Kilorn just nods, turning back to the fridge. “That’s fair.”

I remain speechless as Maven stomps back up the stairs, leaving me basically dead on the counter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so you know the "oh no he's hot" joke i keep making? another title for this could be "oh no, it's love"


	22. The Shooting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mare tries to fix things with Maven.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Mare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi so i should start this by saying i didn't really edit it. i'm just really excited for you guys to read this and i wanted to post it
> 
> ALSO this is my favorite part of the fic so far
> 
> also trigger warning for suicidal thoughts
> 
> ok bye

The students part for me as I stomp through the hallway, determination in my eyes. The usual bustle and laughter is gone from this crowd, quickly replaced by soft, judgemental whispers. About me, no doubt.

The heels of my boots click against the tiles, and I don’t fail to catch people gawking at the state of my outfit. Black fishnets cover my legs, bridging the gap between the heels and my entirely too short jean shorts. My black crop top is covered with rips and holes, exposing my abdomen and most of my purple bra. The flannel tied around my waist trails lightly out behind me, hitting the backs of my legs as I walk. The bracelets on my wrist glisten with spikes, sharp enough to kill.

My ear stings from the new piercings, but I know what everyone’s looking at.

I dyed my hair.

The grey, damaged ends have been replaced with a deep purple, draping beautifully over one of my shoulders.

They can keep whispering and staring. I planned for that. My plan is going to work.

_ It has to work. _

I pop a gum bubble as I continue to stomp through the hallway, heels clacking against the floor and resounding with a soft echo. The whispers follow me until I bump into Mr. Jacos, who drops his books against the floor.

Scoffing, I go to step over them, but am stopped short. “Miss Barrow.” 

I roll my eyes, turning to look at him as he scrambles for his books. “Yeah?”

Mr. Jacos looks me up and down, and I don’t miss the way he clears his throat when he catches sight of my bra. “That outfit is… entirely inappropriate.” 

“Okay.” I glance around at the students, who watch in awe. Figuring this will only help my plan further along, I shrug. “I don’t have any other clothes.”

He clears his throat again, fidgeting with the books in his hands. “You… you should-”

“Go home and change? Okay.”

I keep walking, not looking back as he calls for me again, yelling about how that wasn’t what he meant. I pop another gum bubble.

Finally, I reach the doors leading to the football field. I push them open, stepping out next to the platform by the history wing. Cal sits at his usual table, relaxing with his friends before classes start for the day. Kilorn is with him, and I pop another bubble to keep myself from talking to them. I walk past them, despite the weight of their gazes, and scan for who I’m really looking for.

_ Here we go, Barrow. _

Maven sits, perched on top of the equipment shed and speaking quietly to Thomas. I place my hands on my hips. “Hey.”

Thomas’s eyes dart angrilly between the two of us, but Maven heaves a sigh. “Hey.”

He jumps down from the shed, and starts to close the distance between us. I flick the purple strands of my hair over my shoulder, looking back at the rest of the school. Students have filed outside to see what’s happening. Kilorn and Cal watches us with open mouths. We haven’t spoken in a long time. 

I look back at Maven as he reaches me, trying not to acknowledge how furious Thomas looks. “I have to go home and change.” Maven nods, opening his mouth, but I pop another bubble to keep him from speaking. “Come with me.”

_ Pop. _

He stutters, not knowing what to say. “Mare, I-”

_ Pop. _

“Why?”

I meet his gaze, his blue eyes boring into mine. Shrugging, I continue to chew my gum. “I want you to pierce my nose.” He furrows his brow. “I bought a piercing kit, but I can’t do it by myself.”

Maven’s eyes dart around desperately, trying to figure out what’s going on. He looks over at Cal, maintaining eye contact before looking back at Thomas, who still sits angrily, as if smoke was rising off of him and he was about to burst into flame. Looking back at me, Maven shrugs. “Okay.”

_ Pop _ .

I turn on my heel, stomping back to the school with Maven trailing behind me closely. I don’t stop walking until we pass Mr. Jacos again, his own mouth agape at the way I’m acting. I shove open the door to the steps in front of the school, heels clicking against the steps as I descend.

Catching up to me and matching my pace, Maven moves to my right. “Are… we really going to your house?” 

“No.” I turn my head towards the grass on the other side of the sidewalk, spitting out my gum and exhaling a little. “But I do want you to pierce my nose.” I reach into my backpack, producing a small box and placing it in his hands. “Who did yours?”  
Automatically, Maven’s tongue darts out to run over the ring in his lip. “I did.”

I nod. “Figured. I pierced my ears, but I don’t want to mess up the one on my nose, so I need someone else to do it.” He looks at me curiously, and I move my hair to show him the colored studs in my ear. 

“They look nice.” He smiles a little, his eyes moving to my hair.

I flick the strands back over my shoulder, letting them fall in soft waves over my chest. “I did this last night. I’ve always wanted to do it, and now I finally convinced myself to go out and buy the stuff.”

_ “I love it.” _

Maven’s cheeks redden as I look up at him. “You do?”

He nods. I wink, turning my attention back ahead of me and continuing to walk. “Where are we going, then?” He asks, holding the box carefully.

Shrugging I hold my hand out to him, confusing him even further. “I don’t know. A park or something? Somewhere we can just hang out.” He looks down at my hand, and I sigh, reaching into the inside pocket of his leather jacket. Maven stops, surprised, when I dig out his half-empty pack of cigarettes. I keep walking ahead of him, pulling one out and holding it between my fingers. 

Not looking back, I wait for him to catch up to me. I hear him fumbling around for a lighter, the chains on his jeans jingling against his hand. I place the cigarette between my teeth, holding the box out for him to take back. He takes the box from me, then reaches out to light it for me.

I’ve never smoked before, but I try really hard to make it look like I have.

It tastes awful.

I had sort of an idea before. Just from being around Maven, I knew there was no way it would taste good. Based on the way he usually smells, I imagined it would be kind of bad. I inhale, feeling the smoke fill my lungs quickly. I try to remember all the times I’ve watched Maven do it, wondering how it’s so easy for him, because this feels wrong.

I try to breath the smoke out and look cool, but I end up coughing harshly.

Maven’s laugh surprises me, and I turn to look at him, his cheeks still red but his smile genuine. “Why are you doing this?”

_ Well, way to blow your cover, Barrow. He knows you haven’t done this. _

I shrug. “I don’t know. I just wanted to try it?” 

He steps closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Here, let me.” Smirking, he takes the cigarette from my hand and places it in his mouth. I watch his teeth closely, my stomach filling with the same feeling I usually get around Maven. My hands ball at my sides as he inhales deeply, holding the smoke in his mouth for a few silent seconds before turning away from me and exhaling slowly. Plumes of smoke billow around us, a horrible smelling yet still impressive cloud hanging over us. 

Maven turns back to me, a crooked smirk still present on his lips around the cigarette, still burning slowly between his teeth. His eyes seem darker with all the smoke, and it takes me a moment to realize how closely he’s watching me. I blink through the smoke, reaching up to take the damned thing back and continuing to walk. I inhale again, trying to recreate his movements instead of focusing on his eyes.

It doesn’t take long for the cigarette to burn out from the amount of time I spend coughing in between each exhale. Maven watches me the whole time, thinking something, but I can’t tell what. I hand it back to him when there’s almost nothing left, and he drops it to the pavement, crushing it with his boot. 

He opens his mouth to say something else, but I raise my hand, not letting him speak. “Light another one. I’m going to get the hang of this.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The grass is cold against my exposed lower back, sending a shiver up and down my spine. My head pounds with a headache, the amount of smoke in my lungs not mixing well with the burn of the alcohol and the pain shooting through my nose. I reach up to touch the new stud, cursing myself for not bringing a mirror. I wish I knew what it looked like.

Maven lands in the grass next to me, staring up at the open sky. We don’t speak, just watch the clouds in silence. We haven’t really said much since we got here. Just nods and pointing to things. I pointed to where I wanted the piercing and nodded everytime I wanted him to light another cigarette. Talking seems disrespectful, somehow.

This is the park where Tirana Osanos was shot.

We didn’t go to her funeral. I know that neither of us are ready to visit her grave or the memorial fountain they’re building for her at school but we at least needed to see this. To get some sort of closure before we can fix things between us.

Maven hasn’t said much, but I’ve been able to tell that we’ve been thinking sort of the same thing. Not seeing him this past week has been insanely painful. I can’t even explain why, but avoiding him was almost torturous. I hate school, and it was bad enough being there, but having to be there without someone to make it better? That’s what made it so unbearable.

Tirana being shot made me and Maven very close. I’m not even entirely sure why, but it did. Something about almost dying together really made us trust each other deeply. I know that we haven’t been speaking since we admitted our feelings to one another, and it really sucks, but part of me thinks we need to ignore them. We can’t be together. We just can’t be. Maven has a boyfriend, and this would be incredibly wrong. I would never do that to Thomas. It’s best if we both move on, because we can’t date. Ever

But, I spent all last week trying to get over him, but I couldn’t. Not being around Maven hurt so much. I would see him in the halls or in class and it would become too much for me. Just spending time with him now feels like this weight has been lifted off of my chest. Like I was drowning and Maven saved me. I know that liking him is wrong, and I shouldn’t feel this way, but being with him is incredible. And, knowing that Maven likes me back is the best feeling in the world.

Not seeing him for a short week, was awful. Like I had no one to talk to. 

I can’t even hang out with Kilorn anymore, and I think that’s the real reason I’ve become so attached to Maven. 

Kilorn spends literally every second he can with Cal. I don’t think it’s jealousy, but something about that really hurts my feelings. He eats lunch with Cal now, so it’s just me and Gisa under the tree. She’s been distant too, mad at me for some reason that I can’t understand. In classes, Kilorn doesn’t speak to me much there, either. He’s not an amazing student, but he spends class time doodling in the margins of his notebooks.

At home, even if we’re in my room, watching Gossip Girl with Gisa, he just… ignores us to text Cal. I understand missing his boyfriend or whatever, but it really sucks that he just… would obviously rather be with Cal. When I hang out with someone, I give them my full attention. I try not to text, because when I’m hanging out with someone else, and they keep texting, it makes me feel bad. Like I’m not good enough for them. Like they’d rather talk to someone else than talk to me.

I like Cal enough, and I think he’s good for Kilorn, but I don’t understand why Kilorn thinks he’s so much more interesting than me. Why he can’t even hold a two minute conversation without texting Cal or talking about Cal. Cal, Cal,  _ Cal. _ All I ever hear about is Cal and, sure, he’s nice, but it makes me hate him. I feel the need to hate Cal because he stole my best friend from me. He takes up all of Kilorn’s time and I never get to see him.

Maybe, that’s the way Gisa feels about Maven. I can see it in her eyes, even though she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t like Maven anymore because I spend so much time with him. Our whole group has drifted apart, and it sucks. I hate that I’m making Gisa feel this way and I hate that Kilorn makes me feel this way. I hate how things are right now, and I can’t think of anyway to fix it. I can’t make Kilorn break up with Cal, he would never do that. And that’s not what I want, either. 

I want Kilorn to be happy. I want him to be with Cal. But I just…

Briefly, I think of Thomas.

I wonder if he feels like I’ve stolen Maven from him.

Like Maven stole me from Gisa.

Like Cal stole Kilorn from me.

_ I need another drink. _

Sitting upright, I reach for the bottle of wine in the grass between us, lifting it to my lips and chugging the rest of it’s contents. I set the empty bottle back in the grass, looking over at Maven as he sits up, too. Sighing, I decide it’s finally time for us to talk. “It’s quiet here.”

He nods. “Too quiet, almost.” He looks around at the park, at the children playing and the people jogging on the sidewalk. “Almost like… talking is disrespectful now.”

I smile, glad to know that we totally were thinking about the same things. “We need to talk, Maven.” He nods again, folding his legs beneath him. “What are we doing?”

He waits for me to continue, then realizes that it wasn’t a rhetorical question. “Currently, we’re sitting down.” I frown, and he laughs, raising his hands in defense. His cheeks are red, and I can tell the alcohol is affecting him. I can feel the liquor working in me, too, making my own face feel hot. “Sorry. Uh…” he stops to think, wondering what all he should say out loud. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Me either.” I look at him, hoping that he’ll say something else. That I won’t have to make him talk about this.

He does, and I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “We’re not really… anything, are we? I mean, you’re kind of my best friend now. But we haven’t been talking, and that sucked.” Maven glances down at my hands, folded in my lap. He sighs. “I’m sorry, Mare. I… I shouldn’t have pushed my feelings onto you. I have a boyfriend, and it wasn’t fair of me to put you in that position.”

I take a moment to absorb his words. “Yeah, that sucked.” I force a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “But, I like you, too. We’ve established this. I guess what we really need to discuss is… what are we? Like… should we just ignore how we feel? Should we just try to remain friends, so you can fix things with Thomas?”

The amount of time he takes to answer hurts my feelings a little. If he wants to be with me, it shouldn’t be this hard for him to make up his mind. “Probably, yes.” 

I’ve never been turned down before. Granted, I’ve never had a boyfriend before, but I’ve never been so blatantly rejected by someone. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, hear it in my ears. It’s probably the alcohol, but it makes me feel like shit.

To my surprise, Maven continues. “But, that’s not really what I want to do.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, I know I love Thomas. I know I do.” He chews on his lower lip, searching for the right words. “It’s just… Things have been so bad lately. And he hasn’t been very nice. I… I don’t know if I can be with someone who doesn’t want to help me figure out why I feel the things I feel, you know?”

I shake my head, confused, staying silent. He sighs again. “I mean, if Thomas ever told me that he was having feelings for someone else, I know that I would do whatever I could to direct his feelings back to me. I’d go above and beyond to make him realize how much he loves me. I haven’t told him how I feel about you, but he knows. Lately he’s been so mean. I don’t know if I can be with someone who doesn’t like me when I’m at a low point in my life. 

“Even… without  _ you _ , Mare. Even before I met you I’d have bad days. I wouldn’t feel great about myself or I’d get sick of my mom and I get sick of… living. It was almost like he didn’t care. Like my problems didn’t matter that much. I never noticed it before now, but he just… dismisses me when I ask him things or if I try to make myself feel better. We’ve been fighting, but it’s not always about you. 

“He came over after Tirana’s funeral to talk to me, and wanted to know what’s been wrong with me since she died beside hanging around you.” He pauses, letting the silence hang between us. “I… I tried to explain to him that seeing Tirana get shot made me realize what it would be like to die. That part of me wishes... they would’ve killed me.”

I blink at him, processing the things he’s saying. I don’t notice my hand reaching out to hold his, entwining our fingers in some form of comfort. “Maven…”

“It’s dumb, I know.” He sniffs, squeezing my hand lightly. 

“That’s not dumb.” I assure him, scooting closer to run my other hand over his thigh. “Maven, being upset isn’t dumb. If Thomas thinks that it is, that’s not healthy. He should be there for you, even when you feel bad.” 

He nods. “I know.” He sighs again, turning to lay his head on my shoulder. “You asked what we are. I think I need to… talk to him before we do anything else. He’s pretty mad that I left this morning. Been blowing up my phone all day.”

I gasp a little when he stands, stretching his arms out. I follow behind him, my brow furrowed. He taps the empty wine bottle with his foot.  _ Oh.  _ “Want to go back to your place?” I ask, reaching up to run my finger over the stud in my nose. “We can get something stronger.”

Maven smiles, showing even teeth. “Mare, I-”

We both turn as we hear the wheels of a car screech against the road, skidding around the park in a fast circle. My mind flashes with images from the night Tirana died, the sound of the tires, the screams, the gunshot. It’s all too familiar. Too much like… I look out at the car, narrowing my eyes to squint through the sunlight. A symbol is painted on one of the doors, and I recognize it.

I see that night in my mind, quickly realizing it’s the same car.

Suddenly, Maven’s hands are on my hips as he yanks me back into the grass, diving away from view as two gunshots resound throughout the park. My face lands in the dirt, and I can barely hear the sound of the tires again over the screeches from a woman in the park. She wails, and I chance looking up from the dirt to see several crying children and one mother, clinging a man on the ground. Blood pools around him and he clutches to her, gasping for air around his gurgled cries. Other people run into the park, towards the man, all of them raising phones to their ears. 

Still unable to process what’s happening, I yelp as Maven yanks my arm, pulling me to my feet. I look up at him, but he places his hand over my mouth. “I’m not doing this again.” He whispers. I blink, still confused as he pulls me away from the park. He lets go of my hand, and before I know it, we’re sprinting through the city, dodging pedestrians as we bound down the sidewalks.

Everything hurts, my legs, my lungs, my head, my nose. Everything burns but I keep running, matching Maven’s pace and not looking back to the park. He slows when we reach an alley, pulling me into it and leaning against the brick wall. I lean on the other, clutching my chest and gasping for air. “What… what was that?”  
His chest rises and fall quickly as he pants, reaching up to wipe sweat from his forehead. “The last time someone got shot, we weren’t supposed to be there. My mom found out I was there and I was in a fuck-ton of trouble.” He breathes again. “I’m supposed to be in school right now. She can’t know that I skipped.”

I think back on my parents reacted, grounding me for letting Gisa be in such a dangerous situation. Maven hasn’t told me much about his mom, but I imagine it was a thousand times worse for him. I can’t even think of how mad my mom would be if she found out I skipped school, let alone how Maven’s mother would react. 

“Okay, I get it.” My breathing becomes a little easier, and I start to process what happened. “I guess… when they said to stay away from that park, they really meant it, huh?” Maven nods, and I start to piece things together. We shouldn’t have gone back. When Tirana was shot, the police told us that it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. On this side of town, and in that park specifically, they’ve been searching for those people for a long time. Apparently they’ve shot twelve people they way they shot Tirana.  _ Thirteen now, I guess.  _ There’s no pattern to them, or specific people. They just shoot random people in the park. 

We should have known better than to go back there.

I look up at Maven, still leaned against a wall. “You saved me.”

He furrows his brow, and I wave my hand in dismissal. “I could’ve been shot. We both could have died.”

I search his eyes, blue orbs darting frantically in his skull. He looks at me too, in a different way than before. I’m used to Maven watching me closely, but this is a look that I’ve never seen before. He looks different, somehow. I blink again, still trying to figure out what he’s thinking. I open my mouth to ask if he’s okay. I don’t get the chance to say anything as Maven closes the distance between us.

I gasp when his mouth finds mine, my back hitting the brick wall behind me. My eyes close automatically as his hands hold my hips, feeling the adrenaline pulsing through my body. The bricks are rough against my exposed back, scratching me as I lift my arms to his neck, feeling the desperate need to be closer to him.

_ This is wrong _ . My mind screams, unable to get me to stop. The thoughts blur when I feel Maven’s tongue in my mouth, truly feeling overwhelmed. No one has ever kissed me like this. It’s desperate. It’s needy.  _ He needs me _ . Everything is almost too much. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, never needed to be this close to someone. When I kissed Cal it was nothing like this. Before Cal, I never dated anyone. Never even liked anyone besides Kilorn.

I had no idea kissing someone could feel this good.

That being with someone could feel this good.

_ I never want this feeling to end _ .


	23. The Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilorn and Gisa help Cal out with some homework after school.
> 
>  
> 
> POV Kilorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi please stop asking for updates it's never going to happen bye

Cal’s forehead hits the wooden table with a resounding crack, gaining my attention. I raise an eyebrow, not turning away from the small doodle I’m outlining in the margins of my notebook. “What?” He mumbles something that I can’t hear, and I roll my eyes, still not looking up as I address Gisa. “What’s his deal?”

I can hear the smile in her voice, the small piece of jewelry ringing around her ankle as she swings her legs absentmindedly under the table. “I don’t know.” Giggling a little, she reaches across the table to tap Cal’s head. “Maybe, if you do that hard enough, your brain-juice will ooze out of your ears.”

That makes me look up, piercing Gisa with the most confused and disgusted look I can muster. “Brain-juice?”

She nods, then pats Cal’s head again. I turn to look at him as he slowly rises off of the table. He runs his hand down his face, groaning. “Hopefully my brain-juice will leak out onto my homework and I won’t have to finish it.”

Gisa laughs, eyes twinkling mischievously. “If you lost your brain-juice, you would die, Calore.”

Cal laughs a little as well, leaning back in his chair. “If I died, I still wouldn’t have to do this.” His dark eyes dart between the two of us longingly. “Either of you got a gun?”

I can’t stop myself from laughing along with Gisa, shaking my head at the absurdity of his request. “You don’t have to shoot yourself, Babe. It’s just math.”

He smiles a little at the pet name, but sighs all the same. “Maven usually helps. I suck at math. Always have.” 

“Cal-”

“I’m serious!” Cal raises a hand, waving me off. “My dad always said that I only ever had to focus on football, you know? As long as I’m good at sports, I don’t have to be smart.” He trails off, looking out at the rest of the library. “I guess he didn’t realize that if I don’t pass calculus, Coach will kick me off the team.”

I snort, wondering how anyone could ever think they could get out of doing math. Gisa smiles by my side, trying to be reassuring. “Dude, it’s just math. Totally not worth spilling your brain-juice or dying or any of that. We can help you.”

Cal smiles again, holding our gazes. “Really?”

“Of course.” I reach across the table to take his hand in my own. “You’re way too stressed. Want to take a break?”

He smirks, and Gisa kicks me under the table. “Disgusting.”

My face heats up, embarrassed. “What? I didn’t mean anything gross! I meant, let’s just hang out for a while. God, Gisa.”

She rolls her eyes. “ _ Sure  _  you weren’t… Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.” She looks around the library, pointing to a small door. “There’s a closet over there. I can keep watch.”

I kick her then, absolutely sure my face is bright red. “Gisa! I-”

Cal laughs darkly, catching our attentions. “ Well… I do need to…  _ relieve some stress, Babe _ .”

He yelps as I kick him too, mortified at the idea of doing anything like  _ that  _ at school, of all places. A car is one thing. Cal’s house? A pool? Sure, why not. A place with people sitting three feet away? Absolutely not. Never.

Cal opens his mouth again, and by the arch of his eyebrows, I can tell he’s going to say something incredibly inappropriate. I get ready to kick him again, but the sound of the library door being swung open so hard it smashes into the wall catches our attention. We whip around, only to find Thomas storming towards us. The librarian shushes him, and he pauses for a second. Turning slowly to raise his middle finger at her before turning again and continuing towards us.

My jaw drops open, wondering what the hell he’s doing. Cal scoots over as Thomas yanks out the chair from beside him, collapsing into it and slamming his head on the table the same way Cal did. “Um…” I begin, closing my notebook and setting my pencil down. “Thomas? You okay?”

He doesn’t answer, instead keeping his head on the table. I shrug, then nod to Gisa to keep the conversation going. She sighs. “What were we talking about? Brain-juice?”

Cal smiles, nudging me with his foot under the table. “I think we moved on from that.”

I wink at him, a smirk evident on my features as Gisa pretends to vomit all over the table. “God, this is so gay.”

Blinking at her, Cal’s smile fades. “What?”

“This is so  _ gay _ .” She repeats, folding her arms.

Cal looks back at me, confused. I laugh a little. “Yes, Gisa. That’s kind of the point.” She laughs, and Cal chuckles along with her, though I’m sure he still doesn’t know what’s going on. Sighing, I lean back in my chair, folding my arms behind my head. “Alright, I guess now’s a good time to do this.”

“To do what?” My heart lurches at the sight of Cal’s inquisitive eyebrows, his expression matching that of a lost puppy’s. I get so overwhelmed with emotion when he looks at me like that, cheeks flushed, eyebrows raised, amber eyes wide and inviting.  _ So cute _ .

I smile. “I think I’m gay.”

Gisa laughs, mumbling something about making jokes, but Cal keeps my eye contact. His eyebrows fall a little, his lips thinning into a small smile. “Really?”

“Yeah,” I nod, forgetting that Gisa and Thomas are sitting at the table with us. “I mean, obviously, I like men. And I went five years thinking I was in love with Mare, but… when she kissed me, I felt nothing. Like, actually nothing. I didn’t feel anything. I think I was really in love with the idea of  _ being _ in love, you know? I didn’t like Mare, I just wanted to be with someone. I only had two friends, and Mare was the obvious choice to pine after because Gee likes girls.”

She laughs from beside me. “Yeah I do!”  
“But then…” I continue, feeling lost in Cal’s eyes. “I met you. Like, I had already met you like… three years ago, but, I didn’t know you until now. Hanging out with you at your party made me realize how cool you are, and how stupid I was for thinking you were this huge asshole and ignoring you for _three years_.

“Being around you was very different from being around Mare. My heart kind of… stopped beating every time you would speak. And, when you laughed… God, Cal, your laughter makes my stomach flop around and do stupid things. I get all flustered when you smile. I forget how to form words with my mouth when you hold my hand, and… Cal, when you kiss me, I forget that the rest of the world exists.

“So… yeah, Gisa. This  _ is _ so gay. I am so,  _ so  _ gay for Cal. And I’m pretty sure I could never feel this way about a girl.”

I release a breath, surprised to see that Thomas has raised his head to listen to me, his face sad, but his eyes wide. Cal finds my gaze, a smile on his face. He nudges my foot again, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Let’s talk later.”

My mouth opens to ask him what he means, but then I realize the tears streaking Thomas’s cheeks. “Are you okay?” I say instead, painfully aware of the fact that Cal’s foot has not left my leg.

He sighs, folding his hands on the table and looking down at them. “I came in here to talk to you, Cal. But…” He trails off, looking up at me. “I guess you wouldn’t know. You have your own stuff going on.”

Cal looks at me, his brow furrowed, then down at Thomas, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Thomas, what’s going on?”

Thomas hiccups, tears falling from his eyes again. He’s quiet as he cries, staring down at his hands and trying to keep the sobs from forming. Eventually, he sighs, and the sobs finally come, the sound heartbreakingly sad. “Maven broke up with me.”

My eyes widen, and I immediately look to Cal, knowing Gisa does the same. Cal looks shocked, concerned even. “What? Why would he do that?”

Thomas flails his arms, angrily. “I don’t know!” He sniffs, rubbing at his eyes before reaching into his backpack to get his phone. He shoves it into Cal’s hands, then smacks his face back onto the table.

Cal blinks, then sorts through the phone, reading over something. He frowns, looking down at Thomas for a second before handing the phone to me. He leans over to Thomas, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. I look briefly at Gisa before leaning towards her so she can see the screen as well. I almost gasp when I see it.

Not only did Maven break up with him.

_ He did it through texts. _

Gisa looks at me, lowering her voice so Thomas can’t hear. “That asshole.”

I nod, then hand the phone back to Cal. He holds on to it, struggling to make Thomas lift his head off the table. “I think we need to get you home, man.” He looks around at the library. “Some place where we can actually talk about this, okay?”

Thomas looks up finally, panic flooding his face. “Did I do something wrong? Does he not love me anymore?”

Cal stammers. “I- I don’t know, we just…” He looks to me for help, but I shrug. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He pulls Thomas up, handing him his phone back and letting Thomas calm down a little. “We’ll figure this out, alright?”  
“Alright.” Thomas looks up at Cal with a sadness I have never seen before. It’s really difficult to look at. 

I help Cal clean up all of his stuff and shove it into his own backpack. He crosses to our side of the table, kissing me on top of my head. “I’ll text you, okay?”

I nod, and Gisa and I watch as Cal ushers Thomas out of the library, allowing him to openly sob into his shoulder. I stare after them, keeping my eye on the door even after it closes. Gisa taps my shoulder, gaining my attention and looking at me angrily. She frowns as she speaks. “You know what this means, right?”

“No, what?” I ask, genuinely not knowing what she’s talking about.

She sighs, then lowers her voice again. “This means he’s with Mare.”

My jaw hangs open in shock. “Wh- _ what? _ ”

“I mean, I knew Maven was a fucker, but I didn’t think he would actually leave Thomas for Mare! Ugh, and this is exactly like Mare. She just, latches onto some guy and ruins his life. Highschool has made her into some kind of slutty demon who ruins everything. Thomas and Maven were like, my OTP.”

I want to argue, but part of me knows that it’s probably true. Mare and Maven have been spending a lot of time together, and it wouldn’t surprise to find out that they’re dating now. I shake my head, still not wanting to believe it. Gisa reaches into my bag, finding my phone and unlocking it quickly. “Someone has to talk some sense into her. She’s getting out of control.”

She gets to the message screen in a few seconds, opening up my text string with Mare. She quickly types out a message. 

**_We need to talk._ **

Gisa hands the phone to me, her brow still creased in anger. “She’ll talk to you, not me.”

I nod, knowing that someone really does need to talk to her. At least try to find out what’s been going on with her. Even if she doesn’t have anything to do with Thomas and Maven, I still want to talk. To see if she’s okay. Something has definitely been going on. 

I intend to find out what it is.


End file.
